The Mass was broken up and those present were told to disperse, but there was not the same direct intervention in Salthill.
“To intervene in the Salthill situation, you have to make sure you have sufficient resources so you can deal effectively with what’s in front of you. And that may mean you have to make a number of arrests.” While both the Policing Authority and Irish Council for Civil Liberties have urged the Garda to withdraw the controversial spit hoods introduced last year, Mr Harris has indicated he is considering retaining them for use by gardaí after the pandemic ends.
“The anti-spit guards are a piece of protective equipment,” he said, adding that they helped protect the health and safety of gardaí when dealing with suspects who spat at them. He said such incidents were much higher in the early days of the pandemic than at present.