Use of armed gardaí in coronavirus response branded ‘inappropriate’
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Liam Herrick
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has written to the Garda Commissioner over the “wholly inappropriate” involvement of armed gardaí in the response to coronavirus.
The group wrote to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris yesterday afternoon following reports from across the State about armed gardaí manning checkpoints, The Irish Times reports.
A picture widely circulated on social media shows gardaí at Heuston Station enforcing restrictions of free movement linked to COVID-19 while carrying handguns in their holsters.
Liam Herrick, executive director of ICCL, wrote: “Given the exceptional public health nature of these specific Garda operations, and the stated emphasis on encouraging compliance with the regulations, ICCL considers the participation of armed gardaí in such operations as wholly inappropriate.”
The civil liberties group is seeking further information from Commissioner Harris on the deployment of armed gardaí.
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