Gardaí to Begin Taser Pilot Programme at Three Stations Next Week

An Garda Síochána will commence a pilot programme for frontline uniform Gardaí to carry Tasers from Thursday, 18 December 2025. The initiative will see 128 specially trained officers from three designated stations authorised to deploy the less-lethal devices during operational duties, with all usage subject to body-worn camera recording and strict oversight.

The selected stations are Store Street and Pearse Street in Dublin, along with Waterford Garda Station. All three locations are already part of An Garda Síochána's body-worn camera proof of concept, which includes Digital Evidence Management systems for readily available recording of relevant data on Taser use.

Each of the 128 participating Gardaí has completed a comprehensive three-day training course grounded in Irish constitutional and European Convention on Human Rights principles. The deployment will be fully human rights compliant and subject to rigorous evaluation before any decision on wider rollout.

Tasers will only be carried by selected uniform Gardaí in conjunction with body-worn cameras, with any use notified to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. The pilot has been discussed with oversight bodies including the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the Policing Community Safety Authority, and the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee for An Garda Síochána.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Paul Cleary, Security, Strategy and Governance:

"Every day, frontline Gardaí respond to fast-moving, unpredictable incidents. Almost all are resolved calmly. But some can turn volatile very quickly. Situations where somebody is armed, distressed, intoxicated, or experiencing a severe mental-health crisis. In some of those scenarios, Gardaí have to make instant decisions to protect the public, protect the person in crisis, and to protect themselves."

He added: "The Taser pilot is about giving specially trained Gardaí a controlled, less-lethal option when every other approach has failed or isn't safe. This isn't about changing the culture of Irish policing. It isn't about arming Gardaí. And it isn't about increasing force. This is about preventing harm."

Acting Deputy Commissioner Cleary emphasised that only uniform Gardaí in marked patrol cars in the three selected divisions will carry Tasers, with every incident captured on body-worn camera. He stated that human rights, proportionality, and community safety remain at the heart of Irish policing, with Tasers only used where there is a clear, immediate threat that cannot be managed in any safer way.

An Garda Síochána has used Tasers since 2007, with the devices issued to specialist members of the Special Tactics and Operational Command Units, including Regional Armed Support Units and the Emergency Response Unit. On average, there have been two Taser deployments per month over the last five years.

From 2014 to 2024 inclusive, an average of 299 Garda members were victims of assault each year. While the increase has stabilised in 2024, there was a significant rise post-pandemic, with a record 470 assaults recorded in 2023.

An Garda Síochána will provide additional information on 18 December 2025 when the pilot commences.