Armed Garda to patrol Dublin airport & ports

POGAN

It's changing times no matter what these won't be enough RSU to go around for one, this will take few months to happen also.

Waiting for other airports to get this now stretching resources even more.


Gardaí are to take up an overt armed presence at Dublin Airport and Dublin Port for the first time in the face of growing concern about the threat posed by international terrorist groups.

It is understood the new Regional Support Unit (RSU) for the capital will be tasked with, among other things, providing a visible armed presence at both facilities.

It means Garda members wearing Swat-style uniforms and carrying high-velocity weapons will be on duty in and around the airport and port campuses and inside terminal buildings.

There is currently no armed presence at either the airport or port in Dublin. This has been a cause of growing unease in security and political circles.
The Special Detective Unit and Emergency Response Unit (ERU) have always been the first line of response in the event of any major incident, but neither unit has a presence in the port or airport.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and...-1.2584977

Rebelkid

POGAN wrote: »

It's changing times no matter what these won't be enough RSU to go around for one, this will take few months to happen also.

Waiting for other airports to get this now stretching resources even more.

Good that they've copped on. Saw someone post recently saying instead of Gardai create a armed unit within Airport Police, I don't know how that would work out.

TheHillOfDoom

What is RSU?
Ok, it's explained later in the article...

POGAN

Rebelkid wrote: »

Good that they've copped on. Saw someone post recently saying instead of Gardai create a armed unit within Airport Police, I don't know how that would work out.

Would never happen with airport police anyway

screamer

Good they're fairly standard in other airports in European countries for years now.

kub

Does this mean now that the planned RSU for Dublin will have to have more members? This means that there will be a minimum of 4 Gardai on static duty for their shifts.

markpb

screamer wrote:

Good they're fairly standard in other airports in European countries for years now.

How many incidents have required those armed police to respond to?

Stephen15

Could someone tell me why they will not be at railway and bus stations where there is just as good a chance of there being a terrorist attack. Another idea would to send the military on to the street with machine guns ok it may sound a little ott but I've sent it in other countries.

Cluiche iascairi

screamer wrote:

Good they're fairly standard in other airports in European countries for years now.

And made no difference

TheHillOfDoom

I actually don't know what armed police do apart from to seemingly reassure the public. In reality, I've never heard of them being involved in anything. In London you would see them frequently in pairs in the bigger tube/rail stations (Victoria/Paddington/Liverpool St.). They look ominous, but when I see them I always feel worried that there is an increased or known terror threat. The nature of these cowardly attacks are such that it will only be intelligence which prevents them.

Capri

Cluiche iascairi wrote: »

And made no difference

That's the bottom line - the terrorists don't follow rules the govt's set, they make up their own, and security forces are always playing catch up. Security has to be financed from taxes so .......

Intelligence is the secret, not blanket policing :cool:

As regards the 'Joeys' up in the APFS, I remember being there when the 'bomber' was threatening to blow himself up c.10 years ago , the APFS kept everybody behind an area with a huge glass wall - if it had been a bomb .....:eek: I've only seen one APFS chap even keeping traffic moving up there and he's new so ...;)

Maybe we will get to a point where all Gardai are armed and outside contractors/reserves will be doing all the other donkey work to enable armed Gardai to just focus on dangerous crime.

kub

kub wrote: »

Does this mean now that the planned RSU for Dublin will have to have more members? This means that there will be a minimum of 4 Gardai on static duty for their shifts.

No, same numbers. It was always envisioned that the new rsu in Dublin would have an armed presence at the airport.

esforum

TheHillOfDoom wrote: »

I actually don't know what armed police do apart from to seemingly reassure the public. In reality, I've never heard of them being involved in anything. In London you would see them frequently in pairs in the bigger tube/rail stations (Victoria/Paddington/Liverpool St.). They look ominous, but when I see them I always feel worried that there is an increased or known terror threat. The nature of these cowardly attacks are such that it will only be intelligence which prevents them.

markpb wrote: »

How many incidents have required those armed police to respond to?

what they did was prevent an attack from occuring in the first place, kinds the primary point of police.

kravmaga

Rebelkid wrote: »

Good that they've copped on. Saw someone post recently saying instead of Gardai create a armed unit within Airport Police, I don't know how that would work out.

It wouldn't work for AP to be armed as they are only civilian Security guards/Authorised Officers employed by DAA.

They are not fully fledged members of AGS , ie trained in Templemore college.

They are trained by DAA on Byelaws and Section 33, Air Navigation and Transport Act. Not actually Police Officers.

They have to hand over to Garda any person arrested/detained by them within the Aerodrome soon as.

flazio

Then wouldn't it be more appropriate for them to be called "Airport Security"

Green Peter

flazio wrote:

Then wouldn't it be more appropriate for them to be called "Airport Security"

That's exactly what they are and how I see them when passing through the airport

Mint Sauce

Never quite got this thing about the Airport Police at Dublin Airport. So they are Police, but not really, they can only contain suspects till the Guards arrive, is that right?

Armed Guard are the way to go, certainly at Dublin, not so sure about our ports, are they busy enough. Got a wee bit of a shock the first time I seen Armed Police at Gatwick and Heathrow, now dont even bait an eyelid when I see them at major termini and interchange railway stations in London. If their visual pressence is enough to deter an attack, well surely then, thats job done, and if you still get a nutter determined enough, then you still have a response present.

amen

would it not make more sense to remove the AP and just have a permanent Garda presence at Dublin Airport ?

POGAN

amen wrote: »

would it not make more sense to remove the AP and just have a permanent Garda presence at Dublin Airport ?

Think time will come when we get model like London met get transport, airport within Gardas but need 18k in the force before that can happen

flazio

POGAN wrote: »

Think time will come when we get model like London met get transport, airport within Gardas but need 18k in the force before that can happen

I thought it was BTP rather than MET

POGAN

flazio wrote: »

I thought it was BTP rather than MET

Yes it is but Irish model would be within the Garda. Your correct

markpb

Mint Sauce wrote:

Armed Guard are the way to go, certainly at Dublin, not so sure about our ports, are they busy enough. ... If their visual pressence is enough to deter an attack, well surely then, thats job done, and if you still get a nutter determined enough, then you still have a response present.

It's interesting that the idea of armed guards in the airport is being mention in response to an incident where some men walked into an airport and set off some bombs. Unless our guards are armed with telepathic powers, how would they have helped the situation?

Locust

markpb wrote: »

It's interesting that the idea of armed guards in the airport is being mention in response to an incident where some men walked into an airport and set off some bombs. Unless our guards are armed with telepathic powers, how would they have helped the situation?

Armed police in airports have been around for decades - we are one of the only airports in Europe that doesn't have them.

They'd be a deterrent for a range of scenarios... and minimise casualties in many cases... This can only be a good thing.

Telepathic powers? No... but they are given intelligence/information briefings and they do have radios and phones - You have to do all you can.

D Trent

POGAN wrote: »

Think time will come when we get model like London met get transport, airport within Gardas but need 18k in the force before that can happen

I think the time will come sooner than we all think I mean Dublin Airport Police are stretched, they're crying out for new recruits but there are no recruitment drives.

We could have Frances coming out with a statement something like this DAA police could be disbanded and staff given redundancy package and AGS will police the airport then.

endacl

Stephen15 wrote: »

Could someone tell me why they will not be at railway and bus stations where there is just as good a chance of there being a terrorist attack. Another idea would to send the military on to the street with machine guns ok it may sound a little ott but I've sent it in other countries.

Or we could all panic?

Locust

markpb wrote: »

How many incidents have required those armed police to respond to?

You can't measure what incidents those armed officers at various airports have deterred or prevented...

seamus

Locust wrote: »

You can't measure what incidents those armed officers at various airports have deterred or prevented...

What kind of incidents can they deter or prevent in reality though? How often does or has an armed person begun attacking people in an airport where the police are unarmed? Basically never. An attack on an airport is virtually always a suicide attack, nobody expects to get out alive. Adding armed police doesn't affect this.

The kinds of attacks we've seen at airports tend be ones that armed police don't prevent. Bombs, mainly. They don't achieve anything in terms of making air travel itself safer - someone smuggling a weapon onboard is going to try to hide it, armed police or not.

Locust

seamus wrote: »

An attack on an airport is virtually always a suicide attack, nobody expects to get out alive. Adding armed police doesn't affect this.

It certainly curtails a potential death toll...

Modern Law Enforcement is built on lessons learned...
Which we are quick to forget
Victims of crime always think it will never happen to me...

There have been shootings at Airports down through the years - maybe not in your life but certain the last 20 - 30 years...
Two big ones were:-
Japanese Red Army at Lod Airport - 24 people killed by gunmen in 1972
1985 at attacks in Italian Airports - 20 people dead?
These events provoked Police to be better prepared and vowed 'never again'

How many aircraft have been hijacked by gunmen down through the years?

2002 there was a gunman opened fire in LA International Airport killed 2 before being killed by an armed security guard.
2 is a lot better than 20
Thank God there was an armed response available that day...

Or as you suggest we should remove them all as it makes no difference? and make it easy for fanatics to mow down and blow up crowds of people and hijack planes...

No! of course not! its like protecting your house against intruders - you make the airport a hard target by armed cops and high security...

& Yes ideally rail and busy areas should have them too depending on the threat levels

Terrontress

There must be a difficulty in motivating these officers.


I've seen cops in Gatwick with tasers, all sorts of arms, attack dogs, one guy with a carbine and a large covered apparatus strapped to his back, I was very curious but didn't ask him.

How often in their career are they likely to ever do what they're trained for? If they're lucky they might get a false alarm every few months, but otherwise it's just strolling around an airport with a lethal weapon strapped to you.

Rebelkid

FM104 stating that new 55 man RSU starting in Dublin as of Monday. 15 on duty at any one time

POGAN

Rebelkid wrote: »

FM104 stating that new 55 man RSU starting in Dublin as of Monday. 15 on duty at any one time

They start in college Monday while other regional support units from around the country covering shifts in dmr at the moment

kub

POGAN wrote: »

They start in college Monday while other regional support units from around the country covering shifts in dmr at the moment

Do you mean training only starts on Monday?

POGAN

kub wrote: »

Do you mean training only starts on Monday?

Yes

Rebelkid

POGAN wrote: »

Yes

Is it ERU who do the training?

Rebelkid

Rebelkid wrote: »

Is it ERU who do the training?

No. Driving school, firearms instructors and others.