Frontline gardaí equipped with Tasers as part of a pilot programme a month ago have not yet fired the weapons.
Just under 130 gardaí in Waterford and central Dublin were issued with the less-than-lethal weapons on December 18th as part of a Government commitment to have them on the street over the Christmas period.
The pilot project was fast-tracked in response to concerns about an increase in attacks on gardaí and late-night anti-social behaviour. Officials said that if they proved effective they will be rolled out nationally.
Figures obtained by The Irish Times show that, as of January 18th, there had been no discharge of Tasers by gardaí involved in the pilot project.
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On two occasions, gardaí drew their weapons when confronted with suspects, but did not fire them. “The production of the Taser was sufficient to de-escalate the situation,” a Garda spokeswoman said.
The devices fire two barbed connectors. When these make contact with a person, they complete an electrical circuit and administer a shock for five seconds.
Gardaí are trained to avoid aiming at the head, chest and groin area and to be wary of using the devices on older people and people close to water or at a height.
Gardaí are obliged to report to Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman, about Taser deployments, as well as other use-of-force incidents. Fiosrú confirmed it has received no reports of Taser use from gardaí involved in the pilot project since it was launched in December.
Senior gardaí said at the time of the roll-out of the pilot project that its success would not be judged on how many times Tasers were fired. Instead, assessors will examine if the presence of a Taser, even if it is not fired, had a positive impact on de-escalating situations and protecting gardaí.
Launching the project in Store Street Garda station in Dublin last month, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the weapons were necessary to protect Garda members.
Gardaí “hope and expect that at the end of their shifts they will go home to their family safely. Unfortunately, we have about 300 members of An Garda Síochána who are injured every year,” he said.
He noted several “extremely concerning” incidents targeting gardaí in recent months, including an unprovoked knife attack on Capel Street in Dublin city centre during the summer.
“Recently in Waterford we had four members from one station injured in one week,” he said.
Tasers would also be used to keep the public safe, he said, pointing to a number of recent violent incidents in urban areas involving knives, swords and axes.
Tasers have been in use by An Garda Síochána since 2007, but, until December, they were only issued to members of the Armed Support and Emergency Response units.
While frontline gardaí taking part in the pilot project have not fired their Tasers in the last month, the weapons have been used recently by the Armed Support Unit (ASU).
On Tuesday, an ASU member fired the weapon at a man after gardaí responded to a reported criminal damage incident in Limerick city.
