Galway Gardaí send 70 files to DPP on Covid-19 breaches

Galway Gardaí have sent as many as 70 files to the Director of Public Prosecution in relation to breaches of Covid-19 regulations introduced by Government to police Lockdown restrictions.

Chief Superintendent Tom Curley also confirmed that police in the Galway Garda Division have had to use spit hoods – or anti-spit guards – during the past eight months of the global pandemic.

Speaking at the latest County Galway Joint Policing Committee, held online due to Covid-19 restrictions, Chief Supt Curley said that the Coronavirus policing policy has been the four Es – engage, educate, encourage and as a last resort, enforce.

Responding to Galway West TD, Catherine Connolly (Ind), he said that there were between 60 and 70 files sent to the DPP in relation to Covid breaches.

The examples he included were organising of house parties, pubs breaching the Covid rules, not wearing masks, and people travelling outside of the five-kilometre non-essential no-travel zone.

“We’ve to do the three Es first and then we’d go down the enforcement route and send files to the DPP,” he said.

Chief Supt Curley said that it was up to the DPP then to proceed with prosecutions but he added that the majority of the non-compliance cases were dealt with without having to resort to enforcement.

Deputy Connolly echoed the praise meted out to Gardaí by the Policing Authority, in relation to how members are doing their jobs and policing the restrictions.

However, she highlighted one of the authority’s concerns – the use of spit-hoods.

Spit guards are used to protect Gardaí from being spat at or coughed at by individuals under arrest.

The Policing Authority said they may not be effective and also raised concern about the human rights impact of using them.

Chief Supt Curley said that anti-spit guards have been used in Galway but he declined to give any figures and said he was not going to go into individual cases because they were before the courts.