An Garda Síochána and the Minister for Justice have defended gardaí's use of incapacitant spray and other less than lethal weapons in response to a UN Special Rapporteur’s report which expressed concern over their use for crowd control and protest management.
Two UN rapporteurs, who are independent human rights specialists, "voiced alarm" about the purchase and use of so-called 'double-strength pepper spray’ (SABRE Red Crossfire MK‑3 Gel), one of the strongest irritant sprays on the market.
The report said they "noted with concern that it had allegedly been used against peaceful protestors during a demonstration in October 2025, alongside other excessive means of force, resulting in injuries among several peaceful protestors and at least one protest monitor".
However Garda Headquarters said the adaption of less lethal options "demonstrates a balanced evidenced based approach" to the challenges of modern policing as part of "a measure transparent strategy".
Use based on 'proven effectiveness and safety'
An Garda Síochána also said there has been no adverse commentary from oversight bodies on the use of the incapacitant spray and that its use is based on "proven effectiveness and safety with a focus on minimising harm to all involved".
"All deployments of tasers will be tightly regulated, accompanied by body-worn cameras for full transparency and subject to rigorous oversight and human rights compliance," it said.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said he was aware of the content in the report by the UN Special Rapporteurs and said An Garda Síochána is and will remain, a primarily unarmed police service which polices by consent.
In respect of the protest at the Dublin Port Tunnel in October 2025, Minister O'Callaghan said that gardaí had engaged with the protest group before conducting two separate interventions "in response to co-ordinated and concerted efforts to physically breach a garda cordon".
He said gardaí had attempted to engage with the protest group to disperse the protest in a voluntary manner and that during the second intervention, "members of the Garda National Public Order Unit, wearing ‘soft cap’ uniform, supported by frontline uniformed gardaí, intervened to prevent a breach of the garda cordon which included the use of incapacitant spray and baton".
Concern over taser pilot project
The UN Special Rapporteurs also expressed concerns over the gardaí’s pilot project on the deployment of tasers which is currently operating in three areas and say they were dismayed that "these weapons could be used against pregnant women and the elderly".
They also said that "such weapons reduce the use of de-escalation techniques, increase the use of force, and therefore should be used only as a measure of last resort, following a verbal warning, and with adequate opportunity for assembly participants to disperse".
However the minister described tasers as "a proven, less-lethal tactical option that can assist gardaí to manage high-risk and violent situations, reducing the need for more forceful interventions".
He also said they were not used at all in the first month and have since only been drawn twice, resulting in "the successful de-escalation of the situation without any further use of force".
