GARDA MANAGEMENT IS deciding upon the future of a young garda after he was allegedly found to be storing weapons which had been earmarked to be destroyed. 

The officer, who is still completing his two-year probationary period after graduating from Templemore, was arrested last week in Dublin city centre. 

It has been alleged that he was keeping weapons components from a garda armoury which were supposed to either be destroyed or filed. 

The young garda was described by older colleagues as “a young man with a promising future ahead of him”, but his fate depends on the result of a criminal investigation into the matter.

Specialist garda teams carried out enquiries into any potential links between the man and organised crime or dissident republican activity, but found no trace of any. 

Instead, it is now believed by investigating officers that the arrested garda has a keen interests in firearms and weapons and that there was nothing to suggest he was planning to do anything with the weapons components other than keep them for himself. 

A garda spokeswoman said: “A Garda member was arrested  in Dublin and is currently being detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939, in a Dublin Garda station.

“The investigation is under the direction of Assistant Commissioner at Special Crime Operations, John O’Driscoll.

“The Garda member is a probationer.

“An Garda Síochána is not commenting any further on the identity of the Garda member.

“Investigations are ongoing.”