Gardaí are turning to British police for specialist training in high-speed pursuits as part of a new effort to strengthen how dangerous vehicle chases are handled in Ireland.
A number of Garda trainers have already received instruction from pursuit specialists at Devon and Cornwall Police, which operates a dedicated centre of excellence for vehicle pursuit training.
The Garda trainers are expected to begin passing the skills they have learned on to colleagues in Ireland by the end of this year, the Irish Times reports.
The new training will be aimed at frontline Gardaí who drive patrol vehicles and will focus on handling complex and high-risk pursuits.
Those who successfully complete the specialist training will then be authorised to take part in such operations.
The move comes just days after five teenagers were killed in a devastating crash on the M9 in Co Kildare.
The teenagers had been travelling in a BMW which was being pursued by Gardaí before it travelled the wrong way along the motorway.
The tragedy has led to renewed scrutiny of Garda pursuit policies, particularly when it comes to incidents involving young people driving stolen cars, motorbikes and scramblers at dangerous speeds.
It is understood that some people involved in dangerous driving are aware that Gardaí may be instructed to abandon a pursuit if a suspect begins travelling in the wrong direction along a major road.
Garda Headquarters said the training being carried out in Britain "has been part of An Garda Síochána's plan to implement vehicle pursuit training for gardaí."
The specialist instruction is expected to give Gardaí greater expertise when making decisions during potentially dangerous pursuits.
The five teenagers who died in Sunday's M9 crash were Kamil Pustkowski, Jack Kennedy and Alex McCarthy, all aged 17, Jeremy O'Brien, 18, and Joe 'Joey' Carthy, 15.
The BMW they were travelling in was initially believed to have been stolen.
However, detectives now believe the vehicle had changed hands for €1,000 earlier this month and that its registration details had not been updated.
Some of the teenagers' social media accounts have reportedly featured footage connected to car thefts and attempts to evade Garda vehicles.
The M9 crash has also brought renewed attention to the role of social media in promoting dangerous driving and joyriding.
Ireland's media regulator Coimisiún na Meán has contacted TikTok to establish how the platform responds to footage showing dangerous driving and joyriding.
The regulator is also seeking information on whether TikTok alerts Gardaí when this type of content is uploaded.
Coimisiún na Meán executive chairman Jeremy Godfrey said the regulator was "generally concerned about the glorification of dangerous activity" and the availability of other harmful content on social media platforms.
The regulator has requested a "full account" from TikTok and will assess its response to determine whether the company is meeting its responsibilities.
TikTok said it was "closely monitoring content" linked to the M9 tragedy.
The platform said it would remove videos and accounts that breach its rules, including content which glorifies violence or promotes crimes that could put people at risk.
The M9 collision also involved a second car carrying four people who were travelling towards Dublin Airport.
The group included three sisters in their 20s and 30s and a child.
Two of the women remained in a serious condition, while the third woman and the child were also seriously injured.
