Garda Armed Unit

[RonanRaver]

Not UK police i know but maybe of interest.

Quick-change armed gardai hit the streets

By Tom Brady Security Editor

Thursday September 04 2008

New garda units, created in the wake of the Abbeylara inquiry, will be sent out on to the streets from today.
The concept of a local unit to respond to a critical incident involving firearms or the taking of a hostage was devised by a garda review group following criticism of the tactics deployed by the force during the Abbeylara stand-off, which resulted in the death of John Carthy.
The regional support units (RSU) will be deployed by local commanders to react to major incidents rather than waiting for the Dublin-based Emergency Response Unit.
They will be fully operational in all five regions outside Dublin from the end of next year.
And the first unit, covering the southern region, was launched yesterday at the Garda College in Templemore, and will be deployed initially on the streets of Limerick and Cork.
They will operate on a pilot basis with regular reviews to improve the concept.
In Limerick, it is expected that the RSU will be deployed to back up local armed units patrolling areas where feuding has flared in the past. It will replace ERU personnel sent there temporarily in the past.
Each RSU will have an initial strength of 24 officers, including supervisors; but Assistant Garda Commissioner Nacie Rice, who is in charge of the review, says the strength can be modified, depending on local demand.
The units will operate normally as unarmed, uniformed gardai but will switch into tactical dress if ordered to respond to an incident.
This will involve pulling on a zip-up jacket over the uniform and donning a special cap, with "armed support unit" markings.
Estates
The members will operate in purpose-built, Volvo XC 70 police specials, which are based on an estate car but have a reinforced chassis and modifications to the brakes, engine and suspension -- with the off-road capability of a jeep.
Affixable indentifying strips, flashing lights and an identifying matrix will mark out the turbo diesel cars, which will carry patrols of two or three officers and firearms ranging from MP7 sub machine guns and Sig handguns to less than lethal weapons.
The gardai are the first police force in the world to use this vehicle. Four XC 70s will be in use initially but an order has been placed for a total of 30.
Mr Rice said all RSU personnel were uniformed gardai who had not been carrying firearms regularly, but had proven experience as gardai.
An internal advertisement for members was oversubscribed and those selected were intensively trained in critical incident response, tactical deployment, negotiation techniques, less than lethal weapons, firearms, driving and forcing entry.
Officers said an RSU could also be used to deal with less serious issues such as serving a warrant in a difficult area.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said the RSUs would enhance the overall level of service provided by the force to the community through a multi-purpose, skilled and well equipped group of personnel.
However, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said it felt the concept blurred the traditional ethos of the unarmed, uniformed gardai, which had served the country well, but it had agreed to the pilot scheme going ahead.



SOURCE:
Quick-change armed gardai hit the streets - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

[DirrrtyDave77]

all that kit and a £5.00 earpiece that when he fires that weapon will be useless

[DarkHorse]

Lol :-)

Nice pictures......

[armedblagger]

Good to see the Garda Siochana moving ahead in terms of kit and capability. Best of luck to them.

[DirrrtyDave77]

Have any of you guys used the MP7?

[a5955]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirrrtyDave77 Have any of you guys used the MP7?

I don't think anyone has past a couple of rounds, although it makes the Beriut Salute easy the way the thing rises.lol

[Pistolero]

I hope the Garda don`t have to go thru` the evolutionary bollocks that most ARV crews have gone thru over the years in the UK (ie);

Special codes that have to be given to them over the radio to open the gun boxes.

`Go to the area of the shooting and patrol as a normal unit, if you come across the subject, then you can get your guns out` (that takes time)

`Go to the nearest station and wait for the unarmed units to confront the subject, they`ll call you if they need you`

Most of the guys on this forum who have manned ARV`s for any length of time will tell you some of the weird and unfathomable orders they have been given, lest they actually shoot someone evil.

The Garda are moving in the right direction, but I fear, like everywhere, the police service can never move straight to the right solution. The evolution to this end normally takes a number of years !!!

Mines a Guinness with a Powers chaser............

[ynwa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pistolero I hope the Garda don`t have to go thru` the evolutionary bollocks that most ARV crews have gone thru over the years in the UK (ie); Special codes that have to be given to them over the radio to open the gun boxes. `Go to the area of the shooting and patrol as a normal unit, if you come across the subject, then you can get your guns out` (that takes time) `Go to the nearest station and wait for the unarmed units to confront the subject, they`ll call you if they need you` Most of the guys on this forum who have manned ARV`s for any length of time will tell you some of the weird and unfathomable orders they have been given, lest they actually shoot someone evil. The Garda are moving in the right direction, but I fear, like everywhere, the police service can never move straight to the right solution. The evolution to this end normally takes a number of years !!! Mines a Guinness with a Powers chaser............

I hope this isn't the case for the psni. I'd be suprised as there would be quite a few senior heads rolling, if a response officer used his firearm while the arv's were patrolling near by with less lethal capabilites.

(apologies for stealing into the thread)

However for the Gardai, i thought they were self-authorising anyway.

[fluffy]

YNWA
The PSNI dont operate arv's as they are a fully armed police force ,in fact the only one in UK.All officers carry G17. Officers may also deploy with extra weaponary ie G3/MP5 during hightened threats.Other specialist police units TSG'S ( the old DMSU) would also deploy in support of the local police and in even elevated threats the SSU ( the old HMSU) would deploy now that there is noo mil support.

[ynwa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fluffy YNWA The PSNI dont operate arv's as they are a fully armed police force ,in fact the only one in UK.All officers carry G17. Officers may also deploy with extra weaponary ie G3/MP5 during hightened threats.Other specialist police units TSG'S ( the old DMSU) would also deploy in support of the local police and in even elevated threats the SSU ( the old HMSU) would deploy now that there is noo mil support.

Fluffy,

the PSNI ARV's will go live by end of October. They have been training personnel up to the AFO standard since the beginning of the new year.

( i had written a bit more explaining things about the PSNI/TSG/HMSU, but after reading your profile i realised that i would basically be telling you how to suck eggs.......)