Death – Obituary – Accident and Crime News : Gardai have taken steps to safeguard a man who was mistakenly identified as the person of interest in the recent school stabbing incident. The authorities are awaiting the opportunity to question a man who is currently receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained during the attack on three school children and a crèche worker in Dublin city center.
The situation arose after online news outlet Gript.ie published an article incorrectly stating that the individual in question was an asylum seeker in Ireland. However, An Garda Siochana clarified that the person mentioned in the article is not connected to the stabbing investigation. Gript has since removed the article and is conducting an internal investigation into the error.
Although Gript has taken down the article, social media posts identifying the man have surfaced, prompting concerns for his safety. As a result, An Garda Siochana has implemented security measures to protect him. The authorities have emphasized that Gript did not contact the Garda Press Office prior to publication and have deemed the article highly inaccurate.
Gript has claimed that they obtained the story from a member of An Garda Siochana, verified it through public records, and confirmed the information with a senior Justice official. They are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the error and are considering whether they were intentionally misled by the senior official. Gript has stated that if this is proven to be the case, they will no longer protect the anonymity of their sources.
In a separate development, Tanaiste Micheal Martin announced that approximately 200 new recruits are undergoing training at the Templemore college every 11 weeks. The government has consistently stated that up to 800 gardai will complete training at Templemore this year, with the number increasing to 1,000 next year. However, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris informed the Justice Committee that only 633 gardai have entered Templemore thus far in 2023, with another batch expected in late December. These recruits will not finish training until next year.
Responding to questions about the issue of garda numbers, Tanaiste Micheal Martin highlighted the acceleration in recruitment and the increasing number of gardai entering training at Templemore. He stated that approximately 200 recruits are now entering the program every 11 weeks, resulting in a significant increase in the pipeline of new gardai. The challenge now lies in allocating these new recruits effectively.