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AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA is expanding its taser pilot to Limerick from tomorrow.

Last December, gardaí launched a pilot in stations Store Street, Pearse Street, and Kevin Street in Dublin, and Waterford.

The Conductive Energy Devices (CEDs), also known as the brand name ‘taser’, works by releasing an electric charge to incapacitate a person.

From 7am tomorrow, a selected number of frontline gardaí from Henry Street garda station in Limerick will be authorised to carry tasers while on operational duties.

Tasers will only be carried by the selected gardaí in conjunction with body worn cameras.

With the expansion of the pilot to Limerick city, 200 gardaí have now completed their training and have been authorised to carry tasers on duty.

All gardaí with tasers have undergone a three-day taser training course, and tasers are only deployed where gardaí are using body cams.

Since December, tasers have been used 18 times – in six of these incidents, the subject had produced a weapon.

A garda spokesperson said tasers have “proven to be successful at de-escalating volatile and violent incidents”.

Of the 18 uses, there were four discharges, six instances of drawing and arming, one where a warning arc was activated, and seven where the subject had the taser’s laser pointed at them.

In the UK, over 80% of incidents are resolved without the need to deploy the taser and it is hoped that similar will be achieved in Ireland, whereby the threat of the use of a taser is enough to de-escalate the situation.

A spokesperson said there were no serious injuries incurred by either subjects or gardaí in these 18 incidents.

All four discharges were referred to the Police Ombudsman, Fiosrú, as per Garda policy.

The spokesperson added that tasers will be “subject to rigorous evaluation prior to any decision for wider roll-out of tasers within An Garda Síochána”.

Speaking at the launch of the taser pilot in December, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly acknowledged that there is a possibility that at the end of the pilot, An Garda Síochána may opt not to adopt tasers more fully.

“When we get to the end of this pilot, we may certainly say we’re not going to roll out tasers around the organisation,” said Kelly.

“We may certainly come to that conclusion, but we have to wait and see how the pilot goes.”

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