Force to use pepper spray
Monday July 27 2009
A training programme for gardai in the use of pepper spray gets under way today and it will be deployed on the streets from the end of the week.
The long-awaited spray is seen by gardai as a crucial weapon in preventing assaults. The number of assaults causing harm to gardai has more than doubled in a three-year period.
As a result, the main garda representative groups have been campaigning for the speedy introduction of the spray by the authorities.
Garda 'trainers' will be supplied with the spray from today as the first of two five-day training programmes are launched.
After training has been completed, rollouts of the spray will take place across the country in the coming weeks. The total cost to equip the force with the spray is around €450,000 and replacement of used canisters will cost about €11 each.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern told the Irish Independent last night: "I am determined that the gardai have at their disposal the most modern equipment to allow them to operate safely and effectively.
"The introduction of incapacitant sprays in other jurisdictions has been found to be a contributing factor in reducing assaults and injuries to police officers," Mr Ahern said.
- Tom Brady
