Clare’s GRA representative has expressed serious doubt that Garda pursuit training can be fulfilled before the end of the year.
The Justice Minister made the announcement following a fatal crash on the M9 at the weekend, the second serious incident in the space of a fortnight involving a car travelling the wrong way down a motorway.
The Justice Minister says Gardaí will start receiving pursuit training this year, after last weekend’s fatal crash on the M9 in Kildare.
Jim O’Callaghan also says a new offence may be considered for those who make a “deliberate decision to drive their vehicles the wrong way down a motorway.”
Five teenage boys were killed, when the stolen BMW they were travelling in, was driven in the wrong direction on the motorway and collided with another car.
Three sisters and a young boy, who were in the other car and were seriously injured, remain in hospital.
The Garda Representative Association says not a single member of An Garda Síochána has received pursuit training.
It’s calling for a clear tactical framework, appropriate equipment and legislative protection for members involved in pursuits.
Clare’s GRA representative, Garda Dominic Curtin says while the announcement of training is welcome, it’s “beyond him” how that can be fulfilled before the end of the year, given the commitment required to police the Irish Open in Doonbeg and events surrounding the EU presidency.
The Chair of Clare’s Local Community Safety Partnership is calling for educational programmes to be rolled out in schools to deter young people from dangerous behavior on the roads.
PJ Ryan says incidents involving cars travelling the wrong way down the motorway are rare in this county, and rarely intentional, but where they are deliberate, they can have a devastating impact on families.
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