The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission has recommended that no disciplinary action 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 in July last year following media reports that a loaded sub-machine gun had been temporarily lost from a garda jeep in Dublin city centre on the evening of 10 July 2018.
The GSOC investigation, which included reconstructions, 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.
However the boot was seen to open as the car went over a ramp.
Concerns had been raised at the time over a mechanical fault with the Audi jeeps used by the specialist unit.
The firearm was not loaded but was picked up by a member of the public and handed in to Store Street Garda Station.
The commission has written to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris recommending that consideration be given to instructing all gardaí as to how firearms are to be carried in garda vehicles in a safe manner.
