Garda should remain unarmed - O'Toole

Gardaí should be given more training in the handling of firearms, but the force should remain unarmed, according to Garda Chief Insp Kathleen O'Toole.

Speaking yesterday at the launching of her third report, Ms O'Toole expressed outrage at the shooting this week of Garda Paul Sherlock while on motorcycle duty in Dublin, but she said that she was not surprised.

"Yesterday's [ Tuesday's] incident outraged me, but it did not surprise me, because guns are becoming more prevalent in this environment. But if guns are becoming more prevalent and we want to maintain an unarmed police service, we need to equip and train them to address those situations."

Ms O'Toole, a former Boston police commissioner, said she realised that she could not impose US culture and practices on "this unique Irish environment".

She added: "We have great respect for the fact that the gardaí are routinely unarmed. It is very clear this is a policy that people want to see maintained."

Gardaí themselves also valued their unarmed status. "So, while we are very concerned about the safety of gardaí on front-line duty, we have no intention of making a recommendation that they be routinely armed. We hope this can remain in place for a long time."

Ms O'Toole said that as a result of the Barr tribunal many gardaí had been issued with stab vests which offered ballistic protection. The inspectorate would work with the Garda authorities to determine what other technologies were available to protect gardaí on motorcycles.

She stressed the need for intelligence-led policing to "zero in" on the areas where crime happened and on the players involved.