90% abide by limit on gatherings, say gardaí
Garda HQ has directed a “pro-arrest and charge” policy for anyone deliberately coughing or spitting at gardaí or members of the public, during the Covid-19 emergency.
It comes as a Cork youth was charged on Sunday with assaulting two gardaí, where he is accused of spitting at a garda after claiming he had the coronavirus.
This followed two similar cases before the courts in Dublin last week.
Some 16,000 so-called “spit hoods”, which gardaí can put over the heads of detainees, are still awaited but it is understood that they will be deployed this week, once Garda policy on the controversial devices is finalised.
Garda sources said the isolated incidents of spitting and coughing contrast with what has been an overwhelmingly positive reaction from people to their policing of the escalated restrictions, which came into effect at 12am on Saturday.
However, gardaí are still waiting for the Government to sign regulations enabling them to use the sweeping ‘lockdown’ powers. Until then, they are relying on the voluntary co-operation of people, but are able to fall back on the Public Order Act and road traffic legislation if need be.
As revealed in the Irish Examiner on Friday, the regulations provided for in the Public Health -Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest- Bill 2020 have yet to be signed by Health Minister Simon Harris.
Sources yesterday said this had still not happened, but Garda HQ has been told it was “imminent”.
One source said: “We are still waiting, but at this stage it’s not an issue as push has not come to shove yet; there has been no particular incident or problem and we have the Public Order Act, the road traffic acts, and the Non Fatal Offences Against the Persons Act, but for some issues we might need the emergency powers.”
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said on Saturday that he expected it to be signed “within days” and yesterday said it would happen “very shortly”.
In addition to the three court cases known about, Garda chiefs say there has not been a significant number of spitting or coughing attacks on members.
There have been some reported incidents of people saying they have Covid-19 and “threatening” to cough at gardaí, often during drug searches.
Garda HQ has sent out a clear message to divisions regarding the issue.
“If it happens, if we become of aware of it happening, to ourselves or someone else, we are arresting and charging, that’s the terms of engagement,” said a senior source.
“We will not tolerate it, either against ourselves or anyone else, and if we can identify someone involved in it, there’s a pro-arrest and charge policy. This is at a time when we are not charging very many people.”
Gardaí are awaiting the delivery of 16,000 spit hoods in an effort to protect members from coughing and spitting. It is understood that the devices — which have been criticised by human rights groups — will be deployed this week once the force’s policy on them has been finalised and disseminated.
Nationally and locally, gardaí say the early response to their policing operations has been very positive.
“There has been compliance well into the 90%, no issues at all,” said one source in Cork.
The source said there had been a high level of interaction with people, with individual gardaí on the ground exercising discretion and no reports of any altercations.
While gardaí had expected more cases of young people hanging around, the source said they had seen “very little” of that.
One senior officer in Dublin said there had been “no major crime” reported in the entire Dublin region on Saturday, which he said was “absolutely unprecedented”.
He said the level of Garda visibility, manifested in checkpoints and patrols, was a large factor in this.
The Garda operation, from 7pm on Friday to 7am today, is being examined with a view to what can be operated this week.
“The operation over the weekend was very intense and we are looking at how we can sustain that, with more people on the roads going to work on Monday,” he said.
