But he insists more officers need to be trained. Det Gda Ferris told us: “A video is circulating and in it can be seen trained Gardai successfully deploying a vehicle stopping device resulting in the arrest of repeat offenders following a high speed chase around Dublin west in the early hours of this morning.

“The GRA continues to advocate for management to train up rank and file Gardai so they can carry out their necessary functions and give them the skillset and confidence to confront these car-borne urban criminals rather than simply standing down on ubiquitous health and safety grounds.”

Joyriders running riot in Dublin as almost two cars a day stolen in one area

There have been a number of instances over the past year where frontline gardai have been told to stand down from chasing stolen cars

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• 05:30, 24 AUG 2023

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Joyriders running riot in the capital were brought to a halt in the latest chase, which saw gardai deploy a stinger to stop the fleeing stolen car.

Three arrests were made after the Toyota Yaris was stopped by officers in Finglas, west Dublin in the early hours of yesterday morning. It comes as figures obtained by Dublin Live reveals how 460 cars have been stolen in the DMR West region alone this year, which equates to nearly two a day in the area.

Footage of the incident overnight shows gardai holding off traffic, before one officer fires out the stinger, which blows all four tyres of the vehicle. The three arrested, understood to be one adult and two juveniles, are from the west Dublin area and are known to gardai as “repeat offenders.”

Five garda vehicles were involved in the operation while the Armed Support Unit were seen assisting. Gardai in the area have been concerned by the growing trend of young thugs stealing cars, joyriding them and then posting videos on social media platforms.

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Detective Garda Mark Ferris, DMR West rep for the Garda Representative Association, said stolen vehicles are now a “daily feature of the area.” He told The Star: “These vehicles are being taken unlawfully from hard-working families in west Dublin by criminals who are intent on causing havoc on the road network across the capital.”

There have been a number of instances over the past year where frontline gardai have been told to stand down from chasing stolen cars by the control centre due to safety concerns. Det Gda Ferris explained that the successful stopping of the joyriders yesterday was down to training of gardai, who are then more than capable of handling such situations safely.

But he insists more officers need to be trained. Det Gda Ferris told us: “A video is circulating and in it can be seen trained Gardai successfully deploying a vehicle stopping device resulting in the arrest of repeat offenders following a high speed chase around Dublin west in the early hours of this morning.

“The GRA continues to advocate for management to train up rank and file Gardai so they can carry out their necessary functions and give them the skillset and confidence to confront these car-borne urban criminals rather than simply standing down on ubiquitous health and safety grounds.”