VIDEO Taser pilot An Garda Síochána will commence a Taser Pilot for Frontline Uniform Gardaí on Thursday 18th December 2025. During the Taser Pilot a selected group of 128 Uniform Gardaí, from 4 designated stations, will be authorised to carry Tasers while on operational duties. Tasers will only be carried by the selected Uniform Gardaí in conjunction with Body Worn Cameras (BWCs).
All 128 Gardaí have undergone a comprehensive 3 day Taser Training Course grounded in Irish Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights principles. The deployment of Tasers will be fully Human Rights compliant and will be subject of rigorous evaluation prior to any decision for wider roll out of Tasers within An Garda Síochána.
The Taser Pilot has been discussed with oversight bodies including the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the Policing Community Safety Authority and the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee for An Garda Síochána.
The selected stations are
Store Street Garda Station, DMR North Central Garda Division Pearse Street Garda Station, DMR South Central Garda Division Waterford Garda Station, Waterford/ Kilkenny Garda Division The selected stations are already part of An Garda Síochána Proof of Concept for Body-Worn Cameras (BWC). Each of the selected Garda stations, as part of the BWC project, also uses the DEMs (Digital Evidence Management system), which allows for the readily available downloading and recording of relevant data on the use of Tasers. In accordance with existing policies any use of a Taser will be notified to Fiosrú, Office of the Police Ombudsman
Current taser usage
An Garda Síochána has used Tasers since 2007. Tasers have been on issue to specialist members of An Garda Síochána Special Tactics and Operational Command Units (Regional Armed Support Units and Emergency Response Unit).
On average there have been 2 Taser deployments per month over the last 5 years.
From 2014 to 2024 inclusive, an average of 299 Garda members were the victim of an assault each year. While the increase has stabilised in 2024, there was a significant increase post-pandemic, with a record 470 assaults in 2023.
