An Garda Síochána

Garda Darren Ronan and Trainee Garda Caragh Byrne were out on the beat along the River Lee in Cork City early yesterday morning when they spotted a man in the river clearly in distress. They immediately sprung to action. Trainee Byrne reported the emergency in to colleagues on her radio and sought the support of the emergency services, while Garda Ronan ran to grab a lifebuoy. They both went to the rescue of the man who was struggling in the water. Within minutes, Cork City Fire Services and the National Ambulance Service were also on scene and together they managed to get the man safely out of the water. He received medical attention and is now recovering from the frightening ordeal. No matter the circumstances, we will always be here to help. #KeepingPeopleSafe

Colleagues based in DMR South Division conducted a number of searches in residential properties and business properties this morning in Longford and Dublin, targeting an organised crime group based in South Dublin. A total of 29 vehicles were seized from a business in South County Dublin, as was evidence relating to drugs related money-laundering, and fraud offences. Further freezing orders have been placed on company accounts, freezing circa €200,000 suspected to be the proceeds of crime. The estimated value of the vehicles seized is between €500,000 and €600,000. Investigations are ongoing.

In 2024, we seized a total of 18,676 vehicles for being uninsured following the introduction of the new Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) last year. This was up by 67% on 2023. This database was set up to provide the legal authorities with the motor insurance details for all vehicles on Irish roads, allowing us to identify any uninsured vehicles in seconds through our handheld mobile devices or via our Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems. The next phase of the IMID project will see Driver Numbers added to the database. From 31 March 2025 onwards it will be an offence for any insurance provider or broker to issue a motor insurance policy where the driver number has not been provided. This means that anyone who does not provide the driver number for all named drivers on their policy will not be able to receive motor insurance. Every motorist has their own unique Driver Number which stays with them for life. The driver number is an additional data point that will help deliver greater road safety by providing An Garda Síochána with a more comprehensive insight into any offences a specific driver may have committed, making it even more difficult for those who act illegally on Irish roads to evade detection.

It was a pleasure to have 8 year old Garda Cian Browne assist us today in leading out the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Limerick City. Cian, who has autism, is a super fan of us here in An Garda Síochána. Last October, we visited him with the Nexus Golf at his home in Kilmallock and since then, we have been the best of friends. So, when preparing our policing plan for one of our busiest events of the year in Limerick City, we thought we could do with an extra pair of hands and invite him and his family to join us! He did such a good job and we can’t thank him enough for his valuable assistance and duty today. Cian finished off his tour of duty in the canteen with tea & doughnuts - our favourite! We hope everyone had a fantastic day out and enjoyed the parades & celebrations throughout Limerick. #LaFhéilePádraig

Drug smugglers tricks for concealing their illegal cargo to avoid detection, and get it to its intended destination can vary from the bizarre and gross, to the extreme and sophisticated. But trying to import drugs under our noses is a risky business. This is how these criminals reckoned they could import €10.6m in cocaine into Ireland yesterday morning. #KeepingPeopleSafe Images of the seized Drugs and the concealment.

Haul. 🛍️ Our National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau together with the Drugs Unit in Waterford have seized 152kgs of cocaine - valued at €10.6m that was discovered during an operation yesterday. These operations included the interception of a heavy goods vehicle on the M9 in County Kilkenny shortly after 10am and searches of two business premises and a residential address in Waterford. One male was arrested and is currently detained for questioning at a Garda Station in the Eastern Region. The operation was supported by Revenue Customs Service, the Garda Dog Unit and the Garda Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit. #KeepingPeopleSafe

The apple didn't fall too far from the tree! When Garda Mark Byrne passed out from the Garda College in Templemore back in 2007, he could hardly have imagined that years later he would be getting his picture taken with his daughter as a Trainee Garda on St. Patrick's Day. Garda Mark Byrne is attached to Midleton Station and Trainee Garda Caragh Byrne is currently completing her Phase 2 training at Anglesea Street Station in Cork City. #ItsAJobWorthDoing

As part of our commitment to save lives on our roads, another static speed safety camera will be operational from tomorrow, 14 March 2025. This camera is in place on the N69, Ballyhomin, Askeaton, Co. Limerick. For more information, visit garda.ie/!8BQAQY

We are urging everyone to be safe on our roads this St Patrick's weekend. Bank holiday weekends are the busiest periods on Irish roads. Please slow down and never ever drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. #KeepingPeopleSafe

As part of our commitment to save lives on our roads, another static speed safety camera will be operational from Friday, 14 March 2025. This static speed safety camera is in place on the N69, Ballyhomin, Askeaton, Co. Limerick. The addition of this static safety camera location forms part of a suite of measures already introduced to improve road safety. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/gB4AiCt7