OPINION: Ireland is no longer a place we can have unarmed gardaí dicing with death

Like many other people in Ireland this week, I watched with horror a video circulating on social media of a garda being attacked in Dublin. The clip went viral after reports of a garda being stabbed multiple times on Capel Street in Dublin on Tuesday, July 29.

The image of two gardaí, with just pepper spray and a baton at their disposal, dodging a man apparently wielding a knife or sharp implement is sickening. Their assailant has a serious weapon while they are quite literally dancing with and dodging death on the street in broad daylight, effectively unarmed.

We’ve seen gardaí in these situations before, not least during the Dublin riots when a clip of an isolated garda being kicked and beaten by thugs on O’Connell Bridge did the rounds. That is the heart of the capital city of this country and we have gardaí thrown to the wolves. Gardaí, both armed and unarmed, have been killed across Ireland while just doing their jobs; Colm Horkan, Adrian Donohoe, Tony Golden. These gardaí went to work one day and never made it home to their families. Tony Golden was unarmed when he was shot dead ten years ago.

Garda Horkan and Garda Donohoe were armed at the time of their killings but their deaths too show the dangers faced by every garda in the country, most of whom go about their duty unarmed. Ireland is no longer a place where we can have unarmed gardaí dicing with death every day. Criminals are younger, more volatile and violent than ever before.

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When I’m abroad, I always notice the police, particularly in other European countries. You’re walking down a street in a continental capital and see a police officer with a gun on their hip or across their chest. It’s quite intimidating, but also reassuring. I’m sure it is for that police officer too, knowing they have a safeguard between them and danger if and when it arises. 

In the wake of last Tuesday’s incident in Dublin, I heard representatives of An Garda Síochana on radio extend well wishes to the injured garda who was hospitalised. I have family in An Garda Síochana, so it’s close to home, and well wishes don't cut it. They won’t bring a garda killed on duty back to their family - unless it's in a coffin. We need to get real in this country.

The ideals of ‘policing by consent’ are laudable but unrealistic in a modern society, especially in urban settings. A garda should never be on foot patrol in Dublin city with just a baton as protection. I would argue that more and more the same applies in rural areas where garda stations have closed or are on reduced staffing. Often a garda is manning a station on their own and that makes them very vulnerable if they come under some form of attack in the station or at a call.

Gardaí in urban settings should be armed with guns. Elsewhere, every garda, not just those in specialist units, should have a taser. Even in a city, how long does it take for these armed or specialist units to respond to a scene like last Tuesday’s? Now imagine a rural area when there is a call for back-up.

Give gardaí the power to protect themselves first so they can adequately protect the public.