Courts / Ireland / Report

Senior gardai 'justified' in taking guns off stressed-out detective, WRC finds

Summary

A tribunal has ruled that senior gardaí were justified in ordering a Special Branch detective to surrender his firearms when he showed signs of anxiety and stress, according to the Workplace Relations Commission. The tribunal dismissed multiple complaints by the detective, who alleged penalisation and discrimination on family status grounds after he accused his superiors of colluding to punish him for filing a grievance against his sergeant. The dispute originated from orders by former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to cancel all leave during the State visit of former US President Joe Biden in April 2023. The detective had applied for holiday leave that clashed with the visit and was detailed to provide protection duty. However, on the morning of the visit, he indicated his intention to take force majeure leave due to his children being unwell. His sergeant had previously indicated he would be spoken to upon returning to work. The detective was later reprimanded and claimed he was de-selected for a close protection course.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Senior gardai 'justified' in taking guns off stressed-out detective, WRC finds. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• April 2023 Other
• 15 April 2023 Other
• 21 August 2023 Other
• 2026-02-09 Publication

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report