Members of Waterford Garda to be armed with tasers
Deputy Commissioner Paul Cleary said: "The realities of frontline policing are changing."
Waterford will be one of three locations where Gardaí will trial a new taser programme that begins on December 18.
128 designated officers across Waterford, Kilkenny and Dublin Central will be authorised to carry tasers while on operational duties.
Tasers can only be used by Gardaí equipped with Body Worn Cameras (BWCs). BWCs are another Garda pilot programme that began in Waterford in 2024.
“The Taser pilot is about giving specially trained Gardaí a controlled, less-lethal option when every other approach has failed or isn’t safe,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner Security, Strategy and Governance Paul Cleary.
“This isn’t about changing the culture of Irish policing. It isn’t about arming Gardaí. And it isn’t about increasing force. This is about preventing harm.”
Taser-carrying Gardaí underwent a three-day training programme. Every use of a taser must be logged.
The pretext for the tasers’ introduction comes as Gardaí say they faced increased safety threats while on patrol.
According to An Garda Síochána, an average of 299 guards have been assaulted each year since 2014. Figures peaked at 470 assaults in 2023.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) condemned the new programme, arguing tasers’ de-escalatory qualities lack strong evidence, and that there is insufficient reasoning behind the pilot programme’s creation.
Gardaí’s Special Tactics and Operational Command Units have used tasers since 2007. There has been an average of two taser deployments per month over the last five years.
Tasers had to be held at regional armed support units under the previous model. The closest armed support unit to Waterford is at Enniscorthy Garda Station, a 50-minute drive from Waterford city centre.
Now members of the force in Waterford Garda Station, Patrick Street, will have access to tasers.
"I want to be very clear: human rights, proportionality, and community safety are at the heart of how we police. Tasers will only be used where there is a clear, immediate threat that cannot be managed in any safer way,” Cleary said.
“We’re doing this because the realities of frontline policing are changing. And it’s our responsibility to make sure the tools, training, and safeguards change with them, in a way that protects communities and respects the values that define Irish policing.”
