Irish police will receive pursuit driving training by the end of 2026, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan confirmed Monday, after five teenagers died when their stolen BMW drove the wrong way on the M9 motorway and collided head-on with a family car early Sunday.
Gardaí had been instructed to disengage from pursuing the vehicle before the fatal crash near Athy in County Kildare. The stolen car accessed the M9 up to three times while driving against traffic. Roads policing officers currently lack pursuit training, a gap the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors have pressed to close. Commissioner Justin Kelly committed to introducing training this year, though the AGSI questioned delivery timelines given heavy policing commitments including a US presidential visit and an EPC meeting in November.
The victims were named locally as Joe Carthy, Alex McCarthy, Kamil Pustkowski, Jeremy O'Brien, and Jack Kennedy. Four people in the other car remain hospitalised, two in critical condition.