Regional Airports Security

McNall

I understand that the state airports from my research have there own unique Police Service which are separate to the Gardai, and the members of the aforementioned Airport Police i.e. Cork,Dublin,Shannon, have unwarranted powers to search,detain and arrest for certain offenses before transferring their prisoners over the Gardai and that these powers are separate to those that normal citizens have through common law and Section 4 of Criminal Law Act 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_Police_(Ireland)

I always wondered with the exception of Garda presence for immigration, how do the smaller regional airport operate? Do they have there own version of Airport Police or is just private security like G4S? That would call the gardai for an incident and not intervene?

Just curious..

Jesus Nut

G4S etc..
At smaller regional airports, its common for example to see fire-crew also do airport security.

Airport Police are there to police airport crime. Airport security are a different breed, all they do is just let (or not let!!) people get airside or landside.

xflyer

Security workers at regional airports tend to be airport employees with multiple roles, part time firecrew, security, refuellers, marshallers etc. Certainly that's the case at Sligo and Galway. They work for the airport and have no powers beyond that of the ordinary citizen. For international flights a Garda would turn up and occupy a desk checking passports.

Neworder79

I think Ireland West is the only regional with a permanent Garda Customs unit, added 3 or 4 years back. I think they can also provide policing which had previously relied on one of the 3 local stations.

Kumsheen

McNall wrote: »

I understand that the state airports from my research have there own unique Police Service which are separate to the Gardai, and the members of the aforementioned Airport Police i.e. Cork,Dublin,Shannon, have unwarranted powers to search,detain and arrest for certain offenses before transferring their prisoners over the Gardai and that these powers are separate to those that normal citizens have through common law and Section 4 of Criminal Law Act 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_Police_(Ireland)

I always wondered with the exception of Garda presence for immigration, how do the smaller regional airport operate? Do they have there own version of Airport Police or is just private security like G4S? That would call the gardai for an incident and not intervene?

Just curious..

The regional Airports operate just like other airports all over the world, with security staff to handle the Airport security and The regular Police to deal with other issues as required.
If you travel through most other airports in the world, you will not find Airport Police such as in the Irish state Airports. Just Security personell and Normal Police.

McNall

Thanks for the responses I suppose it's a unique enough situation having a dedicated police force just for the airports. I believe it's better to have dedicated agencies looking after specific infrastructure like Airports,ports and railways..

My impression would be that its better to have more of these agencies which would be more in this instance Airport focused around its specific policing needs and not simply on other matters that Gardai generally focus on anways I.e tax,insureance,public order,muders etc.. they have enough to be doing fighting crime elsewhere.

I flew in Belfast international once and spoke to the copper there he was definitely not PSNI he told me he had more in common with Airport Police in the south as he was employed by the Airport Authority and a got his powers from some aviation legislation etc.. Same as here in the Republic..

I read last week in the paper that civil servants are to replace guards currently drawn from GNIB/Immigration on pilot scheme could this signal creation of an Irish equivalent of UK border agency run by civilians and not police??

Less and less gardai out there anyways?

McNall

I understand what you mean about staff doing security man one momment then cutting grass and manning the fire tender there may only be a few hundred passengers a day passing through a irish regional airport.

If a regional airport security detect a knife or prohibited item during the X-ray checkpoint do they have call the gardai from closet station to attend?

In Dublin I've seen first the Airport Police attending for these "Section 50s" as there known and depending on the severity either confiscating weapons or arresting individuals as its a arrest-able offence to breach section 50 the power to arrest come from Section 33 of the act 1988 I understand.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1998/en/act/pub/0024/sec0050.html#sec50

cocoshovel

I remember Waterford had customs and sniffer dogs about 2 years back. Not sure if its a full time thing or just a every now and then arrangement.