“No intention” of establishing transport police

Ireland is one of the few western nations without a dedicated transport policing service, and An Garda Síochána have stated that they have no intention to establish a separate transport unit.

In August 2022, amid calls from the National Bus and Rail Union for the establishment of a dedicated transport policing service, An Garda Síochána released a statement which said that An Garda Síochána “proactively engages with transport operators, including the National Transport Authority, Irish Rail (DART and InterCity rail) and Transdev Ireland (Luas) to provide a coordinated Garda presence on public transport, to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour”.

The statement continued: “All incidents reported to An Garda Síochána are fully investigated, with a proactive arrest policy and prosecuted where possible. An Garda Síochána is not considering the establishment of a transport police unit at the moment.”

Figures released by the CSO revealed that 763 incidents involving anti-social behaviour took place in the State’s railway stations and on trains in the first six months of 2022, nearly half of which took place in Dublin.

As a result of increasing crime on the State’s trains and railway stations, Irish Rail have increased security spending from €3.7 million in 2016 to €5.7 million in 2021.

Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson Jim O’Callaghan TD stated in August on Newstalk that it was time to establish a dedicated transport policing unit: “It is a big issue and I suppose it is something that we were aware of before the last election.”

Fianna Fáil’s 2020 election manifesto states that the party “will introduce a specific public transport police within An Garda Síochána to protect public transport users. This new section would be tasked with a mandate to ensure a comfortable, safe, and punctual experience for all public transport users.”

The party opened a public consultation to establish a party policy on the issue, which closed for submissions on 30 September.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar TD stated in August that the establishment of a transport policing unit was not a matter for the Government and should be decided by the Garda Commissioner, instead outlining that there should be an increased number of Gardaí at railway stations and bus stations.

Pat Leahy, former Assistant Garda Commissioner, stated on RTÉ in August that the establishment of a transport Police was not currently possible due to a lack of resources, but that it was something that the Government needs to consider.