Intelligence Unit....

upthekingdom

Hey guys.... Just waiting on recruitment drive like all the rest of ye... in last year in college so its keeping me pretty occupied thank god... I have a huge interest in intelligence and security and i was contemplating doing a intelligence/security course in the uk or international public relations in ucd while im waiting... Do ya reckon that this would help me in the future to get into this unit within the guards or wud i just be wasting my time? Any advice i appreciate...:p

Steviewonder

upthekingdom wrote: »

Hey guys.... Just waiting on recruitment drive like all the rest of ye... in last year in college so its keeping me pretty occupied thank god... I have a huge interest in intelligence and security and i was contemplating doing a intelligence/security course in the uk or international public relations in ucd while im waiting... Do ya reckon that this would help me in the future to get into this unit within the guards or wud i just be wasting my time? Any advice i appreciate...:p

go for it.. any course like that will benefit you.

But you have to join as a normal garda first before branching out into the intelligence unit

good luck with it

lyverbird1

Indeed good luck with the course and your future job aspirations. I hope it doesn't sound patronising to say to you that you should be prepared to do regular Garda unit work for a number of years before you would get the chance to go for a position within an intelligence unit. At that time you would probably find an advantage in a relevant qualification, but be prepared to put in the hard shift work and graft before this. If that's ok with you, go for it!!!!

Shield

This is not patronising at all. It's actually spot on! You won't just walk into such a position after a few years in the job. Such positions are very, very competitive and can take decades of hard work to prove you have what it takes to be effective in such a role.

Perhaps one of our serving members will provide additional general information, but nothing too specific for obvious reasons!

lyverbird1 wrote: »

Indeed good luck with the course and your future job aspirations. I hope it doesn't sound patronising to say to you that you should be prepared to do regular Garda unit work for a number of years before you would get the chance to go for a position within an intelligence unit. At that time you would probably find an advantage in a relevant qualification, but be prepared to put in the hard shift work and graft before this. If that's ok with you, go for it!!!!

upthekingdom

awh ya im well aware that i will have to work my way up and do regular duties of a guard which i have no problem... i know a good few guards and im well aware of the story but i was just wondering would it really be worthwhile doing a course like this or wud alot of hard work and dedication to the job get you the same thing if you understand what i mean?

Holybejaysus

upthekingdom wrote: »

awh ya im well aware that i will have to work my way up and do regular duties of a guard which i have no problem... i know a good few guards and im well aware of the story but i was just wondering would it really be worthwhile doing a course like this or wud alot of hard work and dedication to the job get you the same thing if you understand what i mean?

Well it depends what you want to do, are you interested in crime/gangs/drugs, or would you have more of an interest in terrorism or military related affairs? If the former, I would recommend the Gardai; if the latter, the Army is the way to go. AFAIK, you must have the rank of at least corporal before you are allowed to apply for G2 (Military Intelligence).

A word of warning, however. If you are expecting an adrenaline filled lifestyle, swooping out of helicopters and dramatic last minute foiling of terror spectaculars, the job isn't for you. Hollywood crap has everyone thinking that it is all Jason Bourne and James Bond, but the reality is that you will be spending long, long hours cross referencing files and writing reports, not to mention staking out drug dealers all night in a cold Ford Mondeo. But you do get the satisfaction of occasionally being part of an organisation that prevents sub humans like the Limerick gangsters from walking the streets.

Also, I don't mean to be bitchy, but I would advise you to start working on your grammar and punctuation, beginning immediately. Everything you do will be scrutinized, and yes, being able to type up a legible report could be the difference between passing your probation period and walking the beat for the rest of your life. I hope this helps...

upthekingdom

thanks for your advice... greatly appreciated!! At the moment im in my last year of a Business degree and waiting for a recruitment drive... I am totally aware that competition will be fierce, hence, the reason I was looking into doing a masters in International Relations to increase my chances.... Is it difficult to get into the drugs unit in the guards? :rolleyes:

Waiting Game

Some members of AGS have told me they believe it sometimes can be a case of 'It's not what you know,it's who you know' to get into specialized areas'.

Holybejaysus

upthekingdom wrote: »

thanks for your advice... greatly appreciated!! At the moment im in my last year of a Business degree and waiting for a recruitment drive... I am totally aware that competition will be fierce, hence, the reason I was looking into doing a masters in International Relations to increase my chances.... Is it difficult to get into the drugs unit in the guards? :rolleyes:

It isn't as hard as military intelligence or the Special Branch. You would want to be fairly streetwise and able to recognize what is going on in front of your nose. Fairly 'clued in', in other words. You wouldn't want to be too shy or sensitive I would think. You could be going up against some mouthy players at times, so if you were mollycoddled, time to grow a thick skin. Experience on the streets would do this I think. Also, you would have to know how to work a source, stroking his ego for a few nuggets of information. Patience and a cool head under pressure would be very desirable assets

upthekingdom

geez thanks for your advice... its great... im finishing up in may and job prospects are fairly limited... i suppose it doesnt help business is not my forte, however, this mite sound silly but do you think there are any specific jobs that would help my application to the guards in which i cud do for the year while waiting on recruitment etc? That is obviously if im lucky enugh to get tru the stages...

cushtac

Waiting Game wrote: »

Some members of AGS have told me they believe it sometimes can be a case of 'It's not what you know,it's who you know' to get into specialized areas'.

This crap annoys me. If the Gardaí was as nepotistic as some people keep saying then all the specialist units would be full of useless members who only got in by virtue of their connections.

The vast majority of Gardaí are promoted & appointed on their own merits.

OP: expect at least 5 to 6 years of normal policing before you've a realistic chance of going for any specialist unit.

Holybejaysus

upthekingdom wrote: »

geez thanks for your advice... its great... im finishing up in may and job prospects are fairly limited... i suppose it doesnt help business is not my forte, however, this mite sound silly but do you think there are any specific jobs that would help my application to the guards in which i cud do for the year while waiting on recruitment etc? That is obviously if im lucky enugh to get tru the stages...

I would have said the Reserve Defence Forces, but I'm not sure if they are still recruiting. Your best bet is to get in touch with the local unit and see what the lie of the land is. Even better if you have a friend in, he will give you the inside track.

http://www.rdf.ie/maps/

Recruiters tend to look favourably upon those with RDF experience, as long as your recommendation is good. So if you do join up, sign up for every course you can get, work hard, don't bitch, and learn how to take orders from people. It can take a few months for clearance to come through though, so bear that in mind.

I would also imagine a First Aid course would look good on the CV, as would membership of a volunteer organisation such as a Sea/Mountain/Cave Rescue Unit. Being a reliable team player is what it's all about.

Waiting Game

cushtac wrote: »

This crap annoys me. If the Gardaí was as nepotistic as some people keep saying then all the specialist units would be full of useless members who only got in by virtue of their connections.

The vast majority of Gardaí are promoted & appointed on their own merits.

OP: expect at least 5 to 6 years of normal policing before you've a realistic chance of going for any specialist unit.

I agree that the majority are appointed on their own merits that's why I said 'sometimes'...not all the time!!

cushtac

upthekingdom wrote: »

awh ya im well aware that i will have to work my way up and do regular duties of a guard which i have no problem... i know a good few guards and im well aware of the story but i was just wondering would it really be worthwhile doing a course like this or wud alot of hard work and dedication to the job get you the same thing if you understand what i mean?

If you are genuinely interested in doing the course and it's properly accredited then it won't be a waste of time.

clayton1

psni wrote: »

This is not patronising at all. It's actually spot on! You won't just walk into such a position after a few years in the job. Such positions are very, very competitive and can take decades of hard work to prove you have what it takes to be effective in such a role.

Perhaps one of our serving members will provide additional general information, but nothing too specific for obvious reasons!

or better still, have some pull within the Gards. That's probably the most effective method - trust me.

detective

Drugs Unit
If you want the above then you have to go on the regular and guess what - take drugs off the streets at the same time. Get the odd drugs warrant, pass some good info to the drugs sergeant etc.

There is an element of pull in the Guards but it's not as important as luck. Being in the right station at the right time is crucial. I came into the job with zero pull but thankfully s$1tloads of good fortune. And it's way better than pull. The best pull you'll ever have is the pull you make for yourself once you get into the job.

What do you mean by intelligence units?

msg11

detective wrote: »

Drugs Unit
If you want the above then you have to go on the regular and guess what - take drugs off the streets at the same time. Get the odd drugs warrant, pass some good info to the drugs sergeant etc.

There is an element of pull in the Guards but it's not as important as luck. Being in the right station at the right time is crucial. I came into the job with zero pull but thankfully s$1tloads of good fortune. And it's way better than pull. The best pull you'll ever have is the pull you make for yourself once you get into the job.

What do you mean by intelligence units?

Fair play to you, hard work and well deserved promotion by the sounds of things.

To the OP, If I do get in. I would like to see what is on offer my ideal area of getting into would be something computer wise but I could be more suited to ERU ? Always keep your options open, just don't get tunnel vision going into the job.

Also just to add, I know people up high where I work. Doesn't mean I am going to walk into another position just because they like me. Even the people higher up are not going to send someone into a role, when they can tell they don't have the skill set or interest just want a handy number.

So if your interested do what I will do. Work my arse off and take up anything that others seem to not want to do..

neiphin

msg11 wrote: »

do what I will do. Work my arse off and take up anything that others seem to not want to do..

?

Biggles1980

msg11 wrote: »

So if your interested do what I will do. Work my arse off and take up anything that others seem to not want to do..

I would take this quote with a grain of salt. you dont want to become a yes man. Other people dont want to do some jobs for a reason! You dont gain respect by being a yes man.

My advice is dont join the Guards because you are interested in a specific unit. Crime and Security along with the ERU and such units is one of the more difficult areas to get into. You may be many years on regular duties before you get into what you want, and it is a tough job if you are not right for it.

If you are interested in Crime and Security then, as everyone here has already said, work towards it. get to know all the criminal gangs and build up your own intelligence. Hard work and perseverence will get you there.

scooby2791

Fairly solid answers to your questions so far OP. The specialised unites such as Security & Intelligence, SDU & ERU require you to have served a minimum amount of years, generally around 3 years. But its more often than not the more experienced lads who have been around a good while who get drafted up first unless you work your socks off really. And I have witnessed the work it takes to get to such a position.


When you get in to AGS, just focus on getting yourself promoted internally and doing everything right and keeping yourself on top of things, ask questions and even gather your own information on gangs etc (whichever subject is most related to the field your aiming towards) and just show generally self motivation aswel.