Jim O'Callaghan

Releasing a statement yesterday in response to the fatal M9 crash that claimed the lives of five teenagers and left three women and a child seriously injured in hospital, Mr O’Callaghan said those who drive the wrong way down the motorway were “using a vehicle as a weapon”.

Wishing the injured family members a full and speedy recovery Mr O’Callaghan further added: “I want to condemn in the strongest possible terms that reckless criminal behaviour. Those who deliberately drive vehicles the wrong way down a motorway are engaged in behaviour that is lethal and is a serious threat to other road users”.

Mr O’Callaghan also confirmed comments from the Garda Commissioner that pursuit training will be provided to the Garda later this year. Mr O’Callaghan added: “he will receive whatever resources the Gardaí need to confront this threat to public safety”.

This follows comments made by the vice president of the Garda Representative Association, John Joe O’Connell, yesterday that there is not a single member of An Garda Síochána trained to pursue. Mr O’Connell further added that those gardaí who do try to engage with such criminal driving behaviour can find themselves subject to internal sanctions and discipline or before the courts.

The justice minister in his statement has also proposed to address this stating that: “I also want to strengthen the protection available to members of An Garda Síochána when they are pursuing vehicles that will not stop in the course of their duty”.

Mr O’Callaghan closed his statement with a reminder to social media companies that they “have a responsibility to enforce their own code of conduct which prohibits content that glorifies criminal behaviour”. There have been widespread reports that the behaviour that led to Sunday’s fatal crash was being carried out for social media clout.