Gardai seeking pursuit training to target rogue e-scooter users
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What pursuit training are Gardaí seeking for e-scooter enforcement?
First though, Gardaí are seeking dedicated pursuit training to deal with the dangers of scramblers and e-scooters. While a crackdown has been underway with targeted patrols, checkpoints, intelligence-led operations and public awareness campaigns, members of the force say they're still in a legal limbo about how to safely purchase the vehicles. For more on this, I'm joined by John Joe Carey, who is Vice President of the Gardaí Representative Association and is also attached to the roads policing unit. Morning, John Joe.
Morning, Dave. John Joe O'Connell here.
O'Connell, I do beg your pardon. You're looking for this specific training. Why is that?
Yeah, well, look, it's a bit of deja vu really, Dave. I think I was on to you five or six weeks ago talking about the problem with scramblers and it's almost an identical problem here. We are tasked, our members across the country are tasked to intervene and stop the illegal use of scramblers and e-scooters and we just don't have the training, resources or protection to do that. We had the recent incident the other day in Finglas, wishing our colleague well. It happened at a short distance, as you know, from where poor Grace Lynch lost her life earlier this year. So our colleague, a young student guard, he was injured the other night in stopping an e-scooter.
What challenges do Gardaí face in stopping illegal e-scooter use?
I was talking to a GRI representative from that area this morning before I came on just recently. that he is being kept in for scans and they're looking at surgery on that leg, on his leg, you know. Best wishes to him for his speed recovery. Yeah, thank you. And also, you know, we have that tragedy in Carlow the other night. with that young man killed off an e-scooter. So this is a real epidemic across the country. And our members have been tasked to tackle this problem and intervene, but there's zero pursuit training, never mind anything to do with e-scooters, zero pursuit training on Garda Síochána. And we're just looking for that training resources and to protect our members. I suppose I have a call from members across the country who in their attempts
to stop e-scooters are finding themselves having prosecutions initiated against them under the Road Traffic Act. How does that happen?
How does that happen, John Joe?
Well, sure. It happens that the authorities that be in our inn on Garda Síochána, who are, I suppose, the decision makers in the organisation that we work in, have some decision makers there have decided that you, Garda, John Joe Connell and Dave McCullough, the patrol car, go to intervene an e-scooter.
How do recent incidents highlight the dangers of e-scooters?
An e-scooter takes action, whether it's John Joe or Dave is driving the patrol car, has to evade the e-scooter. because it's targeted at the patrol car and due to maybe, you know, mounting a curb or hitting a bollard or contacting with a wall to try and avoid injury to anybody. Now that member driving the patrol car finds themselves prosecuted.
OK, and there are indications, though, I think, from government that that might be about to change.
Well, Dave, now, in fairness, I don't know, I think back around March or April this year, I heard, I think it was Micheál Martin, our good Taoiseach, said common sense will be used in relation to stopping these e-scooters, criminals using these e-scooters. Now, we've gone beyond what common sense is now because our members are trying their best and they're finding themselves injured and prosecuted. So we're at a bit of a, the rubber's going to hit the road now at some stage, excuse the pun.
Indeed. What are the rules at the moment? I mean, what are Gardaí told to do? Because, I mean, e-scooters are notoriously unstable compared with other vehicles.
Yeah, well, like even the regulations around e-scooters are they have to be of a certain weight, 25 kg max, to a max speed of 20 kilometres per hour. And you have to be 16 years or over. Helmets and high-vis jackets are only recommended. They're not legislatively provided for. But you know those, like you look at them and I see them and everyone who's listened to this show sees e-scooters and they're traveling 40, 50, 55, 60 kilometers an hour.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What pursuit training are Gardaí seeking for e-scooter enforcement?
0:00–1:22
2
What challenges do Gardaí face in stopping illegal e-scooter use?
1:22–2:46
3
How do recent incidents highlight the dangers of e-scooters?
2:46–5:46
4
What legal issues arise when Gardaí intervene with e-scooters?
5:46–7:13
5
What are the current regulations surrounding e-scooter use?
7:13–8:08