The Government has decided a dedicated police force on public transport need the power to arrest people if they are to be effective.

Former Garda Sergeant Christy Galligan told Newstalk Breakfast that he is in favour of a dedicated transport police force to be instated.

“I think it’s a great idea and I would have advocated for transport police for many years,” he said.

“We have seen and heard of the problems on our transport system here in Ireland - especially in the Dublin area and around the major urban areas; on our buses, on our Luas and on our railway tracks.

“I think it would ease the problems of An Garda Síochána too because of the difficulties they have in relation to filling those jobs that need to be done on the transport system.”

A Garda standing next to a Luas. Picture by: RollingNews.ie

Mr Galligan said he did not believe that staffing issues seen in An Garda Síochána would also be experienced by a transport police force.

“I think there will be a willingness for people to join the transport police, I think the jobs are out there that will be filled,” he said.

“There’s an incentive for people to ensure, even working locally, you would have people from the Dublin area working locally on those areas within that transport system primarily around the Dublin area.”

Appropriate use of power

According to Mr Galligan, ex-Guards could be brought into the service to ensure their powers of arrest were used appropriately.

“You might have people from An Garda Síochána, people who may have had previously been trained up in An Garda Síochána who might also have an interest, who would be a great asset to that body as well,” he said.

“Not only just new people coming in, learning the ‘tricks of the trade’ as we say, but also former members of the force – or former members of our defence forces as well – who could be a very valuable asset to the new transport police.”

Mr Galligan said that transport police have been a great asset in the UK and other parts of the world.

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Main image: A Garda on duty in Dublin city centre, with a moving Luas in the background, in December 2019. Picture by: Wirestock, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo