Issue Date: 12/12/2025
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
- Kevin Street Garda Station, DMR South Central Garda Division
- 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 BWCs.
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
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.
Speaking about the forthcoming Taser Pilot Paul Cleary, Acting Deputy Commissioner Security, Strategy and Governance highlighted
"Every day, frontline Gardai respond to fast-moving, unpredictable incidents. Almost all are resolved calmly. But some can turn volatile very quickly. Situations where somebody is armed, distressed, intoxicated, or experiencing a severe mental-health crisis. In some of those scenarios, Gardaí have to make instant decisions to protect the public, protect the person in crisis, and to protect themselves.
"The Taser pilot is about giving specially trained Gardaí, a controlled, less-lethal option when every other approach has failed or isn’t safe. 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.
"Only uniform Gardaí in marked patrol cars in three selected divisions will carry Tasers. They will receive specialised training, strict oversight, and ongoing review. And every incident will be captured on body-worn camera, because transparency and accountability are non-negotiable for us.
"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. And we will record every use for strict oversight.
"We know trust matters. We know policing only works when the public believe in how we operate and why we do what we do. This pilot is measured, transparent, and grounded in keeping people safe, including the individuals we encounter at their most vulnerable.
"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.”
