A GARDA WHO was responding to an armed incident is under investigation because he was not a fully qualified police driver. 

The Journal has learned that gardaí in an area of Dublin have raised concerns about the discipline investigation.

The investigation by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has recently begun and relates to an incident last April.

It is believed that a member of the public had made a complaint against the garda.

The garda involved had not been fully trained to use the car to respond to active incidents. The gardaí have a number of levels of driving. 

Gardaí at Competency Based Driving Level One (CBD one) take a day long assessment of their driving ability. This allows them to only drive the car when carrying out non-emergency enquiries and not use lights and sirens.

The second level was a three week course and permits them to use lights and sirens. This has been reduced to two weeks with online training also. 

There is a third level which qualifies them further – some members of the Roads Policing Unit and specialist units such as the Armed Support Unit and Emergency Response Unit are trained to the advanced level. 

The garda in the complaint was trained only to CBD One level. 

A spokesperson for GSOC did not wish to comment on individual investigations but stressed that the body is only tasked with investigations and that they forward files for the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to make a determination on discipline.

Statements have been requested from the Department of Justice and An Garda Síochána. 

Brendan O’Connor, the President of the Garda Representative Association, said he was aware of “information circulating” about the case. 

“While we will not comment on individual cases, the association has consistently raised issues with the Competency Based Driving policy which has not delivered what was envisaged when the policy was introduced.

“The public are being let down and our members are expected to sit in traffic congestion when responding to emergency calls. That was bad enough but members are now asking if they will be investigated should they answer a radio and respond to a serious incident,” he said. 

O’Connor, who is a serving garda based in Donegal, said that his colleagues were subject to “disproportionate oversight”, a “lack of clarity” and a deficit in essential training.  

“Despite all the layers of supervision, oversight and accountability our members face on a daily basis the systems they are expected to work within are unfit for purpose.

“The default response from GSOC and garda management is to blame individual members who are put in an impossible situation and face investigation with the possibility of sanction for adhering to their fundamental duty to protect life and property,” he added.