Gardai are advised to chase suspects only in exceptional circumstances, according to a spokesman. "This particular case wasn't a chase as such. The car was being followed from a considerable distance." Internal guidelines specify that gardai should chase only people suspected of robbery with firearms, serious personal violence, murder or attempted murder or serious rioting. Officers must use sirens and flashing lights to alert other cars. Gardai are trained in high-speed pursuit in a nine-day driving course at the Garda college in Co Tipperary. However, most gardai driving official cars in Dublin have not received this training and drive official cars under what is called chief's permission.
The decision to chase a car is made by the driver. The traffic control unit at Harcourt Square can instruct drivers on radio to stop a pursuit.
The primary rule is that no action should be taken where anybody could be endangered. One factor is the amount of traffic and pedestrians in the area. Most patrol cars are equipped with stingers, a device which, when thrown across the road, brings a speeding car to a controlled stop.
