GSOC report into temporary loss of Garda firearm in Dublin

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has recommended that no disciplinary proceedings be taken against two garda detectives over the temporary loss of an official firearm on a Dublin street last summer.

GSOC began a public interest inquiry on 11 July 2018 following media reports that a loaded sub-machine gun had been temporarily lost from a garda vehicle in Dublin city centre on the evening of 10 July 2018. According to some media reports, the firearm was returned by a member of the public travelling across the city on a Luas to Store Street Garda Station. (It was subsequently established that the weapon was not loaded and that it had not been transported on the Luas.)

The GSOC investigation, which included reconstructions of events leading up to the loss of the firearm, concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, the car boot into which the unloaded firearm had been placed was closed over when the driver started the car engine. But the boot was seen to open as the car went over a ramp.

The Commission has written to the Garda Commissioner recommending that consideration be given to instruction and/or direction to all members as to how firearms are to be carried in garda vehicles in a safe manner.