Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Work is ongoing on early intervention and the multidisciplinary approach. As I said the pilot crisis intervention team is being developed in a Limerick Garda station, along with the high-level task force to which I alluded. Gardaí are provided with training throughout their career in dealing with people who have mental health issues. All trainee gardaí are trained over two days in an internationally recognised applied suicide intervention skills training, ASIST. It is a workshop delivered in collaboration with the HSE. It is a suicide first aid programme which equips trainee gardaí with the necessary skills to discuss suicide with the person at risk and make an intervention to reduce immediate risk of suicide if necessary. Armed gardaí are also supported with the training given to all armed support units during their basic training. I am sure that this is a very detailed course and deals with hostage barricades, suicide and so on.

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