Garda Taser Pilot Extended to End of 2026, Expands to Limerick

An Garda Síochána will extend its taser pilot program for six months, running until the end of 2026, and expand its reach to Limerick. The pilot, launched in December, initially involved 167 trained gardaí in Dublin's Store Street, Pearse Street, and Kevin Street stations, as well as Waterford.

Since December, tasers have been used 15 times, resulting in no serious injuries to subjects or gardaí. There were three discharges, five instances of drawing and arming, and seven cases where the taser's laser was pointed at a subject. All three discharges were referred to Fiosrú, the police ombudsman. In six of these incidents, subjects had produced a weapon. Arrests and charges occurred in seven cases, while one subject fled, and three were detained under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act 2001. One subject was hospitalized for an unrelated issue.

Deputy Commissioner Paul Cleary stated that a key success measure is de-escalation and harm avoidance, not the number of discharges. He noted that drawing, aiming, and laser painting likely prevented the need for other force, such as batons. All gardaí using tasers have completed a three-day training course, and tasers are only deployed when gardaí are using body cameras.