The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, has defended the use of weapons in a recruitment page on the Garda website. Mr Dick Spring (Lab, Kerry North) had asked in a written question about the use of a "shooter and a gun" and the image it created.
Mr O'Donoghue said the web page dealt with selection, training and promotion within the service and ended with a reference to specialist services within the Garda including ballistics and units to deal with armed terrorists and criminal gangs. The image "illustrates just one aspect of the organisation and should not be taken in isolation".