Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 February 2023
489. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of times armed gardaí discharged a firearm during the course of their duty in each of the years 2019 to 2022, and to-date in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9754/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), which includes all operational policing matters. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions.
For the Deputy's information, in the interest of transparency, the Commissioner publishes monthly statistics related to the use of force by Garda members, including the discharge of firearms, at the following link: www.garda.ie/en/information-centre/statistics/
The Commissioner also provides monthly published reports to the Policing Authority which detail use of force by Garda members, including the discharge of firearms, which can be viewed at the following link: www.garda.ie/en/about-us/publications/general-reports/commissioner-s-monthly-reports-to-policing-authority/
To be of assistance, I am advised that the below table, drawn from the published information available, outlines the number of times that a Garda member discharged a lethal or less-than-lethal/non-lethal firearm in the course of their duty for the years specified.
|
Year |
Lethal |
* Less / Non Lethal |
Total |
|
2019 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
2020 |
7 |
9 |
16 |
|
2021 |
8 |
5 |
13 |
|
2022 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
|
2023 (as of 31 Jan) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
* Less lethal weapons are designed to cause less serious injuries than traditional firearms, while non-lethal weapons are designed to disable or subdue an assailant without causing death or serious injury.
