Police officers from other countries often express their surprise that Gardaí in Tipperary and across the country are unarmed.
Superintendent Eddie Golden from the Cahir Garda District says the force polices with the co-operation of the people.
Speaking on Tipp Today during their outside broadcast in Cahir this morning he said US police in particular are used to a totally different way of operating.
“I know meeting police officers from all over the world – when I go to America for example – I talk to some of my colleagues over there and you tell them we’re unarmed they can’t understand how we can do our job because their whole ethos is armed. You expect to have someone with a firearm when you come up against them. And look we have that fear and risk as well I suppose every day when we stop a car – it’s becoming more prevalent.
“We have our Armed Response Unit which is based in Cahir and our Roads Policing Unit but in the majority of cases we police with the consent of the people – we are a peaceful force.”