Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had a rocky ride to Dublin when his bulletproof jeep was flung into the air after smashing into a barrier at garda headquarters.
A garda on sentinel hit an emergency button to activate a security barrier which shot up from the ground to stop the unmarked PSNI jeep entering the depot.
Ireland’s top cop would normally be picked up at the border by a Garda Emergency Response Unit but on this occasion armed PSNI officers brought him all the way to Dublin.
A senior garda source last night told the Irish Mirror: “The garda saw a Northern Ireland jeep driving at a pace towards the barriers (at Garda HQ).
“The PSNI were driving through the gate when the jeep with Drew Harris inside was rammed and flung up into the air by the barrier.
“The gate shot up from the ground and caught the front of the PSNI jeep, it nearly turned over.
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“A garda pressed the emergency button when she didn’t recognise the unmarked black jeep trying to enter the compound.”
Panicked gardai rushed out of Phoenix Park thinking there was a bomb on board.
The source added: “Gardai thought there was a bomb scare because the barrier is only used when there’s a security threat.”
A garda spokesperson confirmed that the Commissioner was involved in an “incident” at Garda HQ but would not comment further.
It is understood the Commissioner originally from Belfast in Northern Ireland on business.
Normally, armed PSNI officers chauffeur Harris to the border where he then transfers into a Garda car escorted by the emergency response unit (ERU).
But for reasons unknown Harris decided to continue his journey in the PSNI vehicle back to Dublin.
The senior source said: “For some reason Harris decided he would not change over vehicle at the border and got the PSNI to drive him to the garda depot with the ERU escort.
“His bombproof escort jeep was written off from the impact.
“There was serious damage done to the vehicle and now there’s a big investigation into what exactly happened.”
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However, it is understood the country’s top cop hit his head while inside the vehicle but there were no major injuries.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “we do not comment on operational matters.”
Meanwhile, senior sources are questioning the circumstances around how armed PSNI officers travelled across the border into the Republic.
