GRA President believes pursuit training could take until 2028 to be fully rolled out to frontline units
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) president, Niall Hodgins, expressed frustration over the slow rollout of pursuit driving training for Irish police. He believes full implementation across frontline units may not be achieved until 2028 due to management delays.
Why it matters
The delay in specialized training for police officers raises concerns regarding operational safety and the effectiveness of law enforcement in high-speed scenarios.
THE PRESIDENT OF a garda group has spoken about “frustrations” with garda management and believes that frontline gardaí may not be fully trained in pursuit driving until 2028.
Niall Hodgins, who is the elected head of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), said that the first they heard of pursuit training was a month ago.
He said that it was his understanding that instructors were to begin training towards the end of the year, but he added this may have changed since the M9 crash.
The GRA and their colleagues in the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors have been calling vociferously for drivers to be trained in pursuit techniques with multiple campaigns.
There is likely to be some attempt across 2027 to get operational units trained but Hodgins believes there will be a real struggle to achieve this goal.
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