Elite armed squad to tackle gangland crime in Limerick

eroo

By Barry Duggan

Thursday August 28 2008

THE Emergency Response Unit patrolling Limerick city's flashpoint areas will soon get back-up from a specially trained and fully-armed squad.

A new Regional Support Unit, the first of its kind in the country, comprises 20 specially-trained officers who were previously based in the city and have first-hand knowledge and experience of the region's most notorious criminals.

The officers and detectives have been in specialist training for the past six months and are expected to be deployed to the city's streets next week.

Despite the decrease in gangland violence in the city since the city's criminal gangs came under the intense focus of the Criminal Assets Bureau and ongoing garda investigation, senior officers are taking no chances. A tentative truce between the warring sides was agreed last May, but this deal was greeted with great scepticism by gardai.

The members of the Regional Support Unit have received training in lethal and non-lethal firearms and surveillance methods and will be based in Limerick on a full-time basis.

It is expected that the presence of the ERU in the city will be reduced when their colleagues arrive to augment the unit. The new arrivals will be clearly visible and will provide an extra security measure to neighbourhoods where drug gangs are based.

The ERU was redeployed to the city last March after six homes were hit by a machine gunner in St Mary's Park as the gangland feud boiled over.

Chairman of Limerick's Joint Policing Committee Kevin Kiely welcomed the arrival of the Regional Support.

"They know the criminals and know how and who they operate with. They are bringing that to the table with them," Mr Kiely said.

The new armed unit will patrol Limerick streets 24-hours a day and is based with the ERU which is under the umbrella of the Special Detective Unit.

The ERU was first drafted into Limerick in 2003 after the gangland murder of Kieran Keane.

- Barry Duggan

First,they were to be deployed in late May/early June,then mid-summer and now it's next week!Yet according to http://breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhqlojcwcwmh/ the RSU is ''reportedly set to be deployed in Limerick in the coming weeks''!?

The ERU have been deployed since March.That is a long time,as well as a drain of personnel available for assignments throughout the country.I,for one,really hope this RSU works.It's been needed in Limerick for the last 5 years!!

Eru

Attached to the ERU / SDU? I thought they were uniform members that could be deployed with firearms not a completely new unit with assigned members?

This article makes it sound like its really just local ERU units.

TheNog

me thinks they need more than 20 members. I would be expecting 30-35 members to have them going 24hrs a day with some reasonable back-up provided.

donvito99

Will the unit be in uniform eg. ERU style, or plain clothed or rank and file uni.

King Ludvig

The ERU are in Waterford City now too apparently. I wonder when will Dublin and other citys get RSU's......

the locust

donvito99 wrote: »

Will the unit be in uniform eg. ERU style, or plain clothed or rank and file uni.

Yes uniform - not as aggressive looking as ERU - the uniform is kind of in between, a compromise, they have smart looking combat pants and checkered baseball caps. Not far off what they look like in the UK.

TheNog

the locust wrote: »

Yes uniform - not as aggressive looking as ERU - the uniform is kind of in between, a compromise, they have smart looking combat pants and checkered baseball caps. Not far off what they look like in the UK.

any pics

King Ludvig

TheNog wrote: »

any pics

+1

CLADA

As was discussed on this forum a few months back this is the southern regions armed support unit as recommended by the Garda inspectorate to act as "first responders" to crisis scenes.

They will operate out of Cork and Limerick and patrol in uniform, when deployed to armed incidents they will change into tactical clothing. firearms HK mp7 and Sig p226 will be contained in a safe in the vehicle as will Taser, pepper spray and Benelli shotgun for bean bag.

It shouldn't be too hard to spot them when they first hit the streets, marked Volvo XC70's.

Random

CLADA wrote: »

As was discussed on this forum a few months back this is the southern regions armed support unit as recommended by the Garda inspectorate to act as "first responders" to crisis scenes.

They will operate out of Cork and Limerick and patrol in uniform, when deployed to armed incidents they will change into tactical clothing. firearms HK mp7 and Sig p226 will be contained in a safe in the vehicle as will Taser, pepper spray and Benelli shotgun for bean bag.

It shouldn't be too hard to spot them when they first hit the streets, marked Volvo XC70's.

So, they have no immediate access to weapons but have them with them. What happens if an armed "bad guy" comes up to the window? He then forces them to open the safe, the armed (but currently unarmed) cops can do nothing?

Secondly, what happens if an armed patrol unit responds to a bank robbery. The guys are shooting out of the bank. Can the cops take out the guns and start shooting back while still in their uniforms.

Forgive me if I sound a bit foolish .. I'm not in the Gardai and asking genuine questions.

Thanks

eroo

TheNog wrote: »

me thinks they need more than 20 members. I would be expecting 30-35 members to have them going 24hrs a day with some reasonable back-up provided.

There will probably be 2 cars w/ 3 personnel.I'd imagine 1 car will be over in the southside of the City most of the time,while the other will be covering northside.It could really be a permanent solution to gun violence in those areas.The ERU and DDU units seem to do the same thing and it appears to have worked!This could be a new beginning in Limerick.

CLADA

Random wrote: »

So, they have no immediate access to weapons but have them with them. What happens if an armed "bad guy" comes up to the window? He then forces them to open the safe, the armed (but currently unarmed) cops can do nothing?

Secondly, what happens if an armed patrol unit responds to a bank robbery. The guys are shooting out of the bank. Can the cops take out the guns and start shooting back while still in their uniforms.

Forgive me if I sound a bit foolish .. I'm not in the Gardai and asking genuine questions.

Thanks

Not foolish at all Random, this was discussed at length in other threads about arming uniformed gardai and the setting up of RSU's etc..

It would appear these units can be used for general policing and then given permission to arm themselves in the event of a "call". The scenarios you mentioned could happen and as this is a pilot project I can only assume a general review of operating procedures will take place and changes may be made or may not:(

Fyr.Fytr

The scenarios ok, how do normal unarmed uniforms deal with them?

If they did happen, shout up on the radio as a priority call and get authorisation asap!

This is a presumption on my part of course, maybe it has been covered in the operating procedures of the RSU, bet there is an "exceptional circumstances" clause

CLADA

Fyr.Fytr wrote: »

The scenarios ok, how do normal unarmed uniforms deal with them?

I think his point may be the fact that unarmed Gardai travelling in a vehicle with weapons locked in a safe could be targetted by armed criminals with a view to stealing the firearms.

eroo

Tbh,I think it would be better off if the RSU carried out solely armed duties in Limerick.Imagine what having a highly trained armed unit patrolling areas 24/7,all year round would do in Limerick?Obviously,they are not going to be involved in incidents every day,but it would really keep things quiet,as proven in the past by the presence of the ERU in the city.Then have it that RSU's in areas with low gun crime can carry out normal duties and armed duties.

Now Limerick Gardai just need a Garda helicopter that could also cover the Munster region.

Fyr.Fytr

And take a step down? They're better armed then the guards!

But yea i know where your coming from, presume the lockers will the like the ones in the UK and top notch, saw one on traffic cops or similar that requires code off the cop and its also unlocked by signal from control room

the locust

i'd imagine they'd carry handguns on them whilst in the car?
i think its only the sub machine guns and less lethal weapons in the boot.

Like all pilot programs they usually will go through thier initial teething problems and RSU probably, due to ridiculous procedure will make the same mistakes the UK ARV's made years ago.

They need immediate access to the weapons - those MP7's are so frickin small they're machine gun pistols, they could easily be stowed in a purpose built safe inside the vehicle rather than having to...
stop,
get out,
enter code, pray it works,
open the safe and retrieve you're weapon,
check weapons, lock and load, throw on a bib saying firearms
then go to the call....

surely if they are to stop as suspicous car they have to be able to jump out weapons at the ready?

donvito99

Tactical clothing? (From CLADA #9)

And the Volvo XC70, is this the new slightly smaller estate.

Eru

Random wrote: »

So, they have no immediate access to weapons but have them with them. What happens if an armed "bad guy" comes up to the window? He then forces them to open the safe, the armed (but currently unarmed) cops can do nothing?

Secondly, what happens if an armed patrol unit responds to a bank robbery. The guys are shooting out of the bank. Can the cops take out the guns and start shooting back while still in their uniforms.

Forgive me if I sound a bit foolish .. I'm not in the Gardai and asking genuine questions.

Thanks

You dont seem foolish, you sound like a person with some good common sense.

CLADA

donvito99 wrote: »

Tactical clothing? (From CLADA #9)

Along the lines of overalls/combats, tac vest and body armour, I.D cap.

Fyr.Fytr

XC70 is the cross country version of the v70 estate car favored by british traffic cops for its size and speed

Garda ones will look similar to this

metman

Isn't this one of the RSU motors?

Fyr.Fytr

Thats the bog standard v70, was trailed by the drving school in T-more so presume they gave it a shot liked it but went 1 better.

Hopefully they'll be the T5 engine, they go like a hot snot

the locust

metman wrote: »

Isn't this one of the RSU motors?

this is the one they'll be using, computerised signs they can turn on/off saying 'firearms unit' when they are at an incident.
This is a beast compared to other cars. Very safe for driving at high speeds

CLADA

Fyr.Fytr wrote: »

XC70 is the cross country version of the v70 estate car favored by british traffic cops for its size and speed

Garda ones will look similar to this

This is the vehicle, if anybody's working over the weekend there are two of them parked up in the depot at the moment.

hammy140

Just throwing this out there for some meaningful comment.....

Is the RSU plan just a pilot project for a future and total arming of the force?

Now that's a controversial comment by hammy!

eroo

hammy140 wrote: »

Just throwing this out there for some meaningful comment.....

Is the RSU plan just a pilot project for a future and total arming of the force?

Now that's a controversial comment by hammy!

I'd reckon a late reaction to ARV's more than anything else i.e.15 years too late!

Eru

hammy140 wrote: »

Just throwing this out there for some meaningful comment.....

Is the RSU plan just a pilot project for a future and total arming of the force?

Now that's a controversial comment by hammy!

Well I think eventually we will be armed but I wouldnt say its a step in that direction more a compromise between both sides of the debate.

source

here ye go, one rather poor quality pic of the garda xc 70

metman

Good effort foinse. Good looking motor.

Fyr.Fytr

Thanks foinse, wheres these computerised signs???