The Government is to equip elite armed gardaí with more non-lethal weapons like stun guns.
The Cabinet decided today, on the advice of Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, that the Emergency Response Unit should be equipped with and trained in less lethal weapons like Taser guns or stun guns.The use of non-lethal weapons was one of the recommendations of the last year's Barr Tribunal Report which investigated the fatal shooting of John Carthy following a siege in Abbeylara in 2000.
The head of the Garda Inspectorate Kathleen O'Toole is also in favour of supplying pepper spray canisters to officers but this will be decided by the Garda Commissioner.
Ms O'Toole told delegates at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors today she had been "frightened" to learn of the standard of weapons and protective equipment available to gardai responding to an armed siege last year.
Fianna Fail TD and deputy chief whip Billy Kelleher tonight described the move as a "sensible step which will both protect gardaí and help them to deal effectively with criminal threats". He said gardaí at regional level will get 'less lethal' weapons such as the bean bag shot and pepper spray to use while awaiting the arrival of the emergency response unit.
It also emerged today that the new Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission will begin to take over complaints cases from the old Garda Complaints Board on May 9th.