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Security at Dublin Port is a joke

24

Comments

  • #32
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Del2005 wrote: »
    The point is that no mater what level of security you put in place it will be circumvented if someone wants to.

    The OTT security at airports is to make passengers feel comfortable flying rather than actually protecting the plane or passengers, since a plane can still be easily downed with hand carry items.

    So do you fit into the handwringing category?


  • #33
    charlemont
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,725 ✭✭✭charlemont


    The H&M Customs in Holyhead caught me years ago with Weed, Only personal use though so I got the next ferry home.


  • #34
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,604 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    So do you fit into the handwringing category?

    do you fit into the "OMG, terrorists are everywhere" category? Most airport security is pointless, you can still bring items on a plane that can take it down with little difficulty after all, laptop batteries being the most obvious. They will not stop anyone determined to blow up / hijack a plane.


  • #35
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    I sure do belong to the OMG the Fifth columnists are everywhere and if I had it within my power do something about it I would. No point in my rehashing my views but I am an unashamed member of the hang 'em, shoot 'em and flog 'em brigade.


  • #36
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,604 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    I sure do belong to the OMG the Fifth columnists are everywhere and if I had it within my power do something about it I would. No point in my rehashing my views but I am an unashamed member of the hang 'em, shoot 'em and flog 'em brigade.

    excessive security everywhere is not the answer to that though, proper sentencing and deterrents are, ie catch the ****ers and shoot them and make it blindingly obvious to any potential wrongdoers they are in for a world of **** if even caught planning the slightest dodgy thing. The more properly resourced policing and background security you have for that the less need for all the BS everyone has to go through at the likes of airports.

    I certainly believe having officers with machine guns strolling round Heathrow is a far more effective deterrent than stopping people with bottles of water and scissors...


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  • #37
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,672 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    I'm really surprised any Irish person would buy into the whole "Security Theatre" thing.

    On the island of Ireland we had real continuous terrorism for 30 years, with fully armed soldiers and armed personal carriers patrolling the streets of Northern Ireland, gunship helicopters in the air and army bases with massive gun towers all over the north monitoring every movement and even with all that it never stopped the terrorism from happening.

    So knowing all this, how could any Irish person buy into "security theatre"?

    The whole extra airport security thing has no real benefit in stopping terrorists. Literally thousands of guns are either accidentally or purposefully (for testing) snuck onto US flights every year!! The increased security hasn't stopped a single terrorist. It didn't stop the shoe or pants bombers, vigilant passengers did.

    The extra security is only there for psychological purposes, to make people feel more safe about flying. It really wont stop any terrorism.

    So no, there is really no need for ridiculous security measures at ports. Anyway the security at ports is directed at stopping illegal immigrants, criminals trying to leave the country and drug smuggling. Ferries really aren't considered a high threat terrorism target. They are just far too difficult to sink.

    The greatest threat of terrorism in US and UK ports is actually containers. The real fear most security analysts have is some nut job terrorist shipping a nuclear dirty bomb into a UK or US port in a standard transport container.


  • #38
    Del2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,184 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    So do you fit into the handwringing category?

    Nope
    bk wrote: »
    I'm really surprised any Irish person would buy into the whole "Security Theatre" thing.

    On the island of Ireland we had real continuous terrorism for 30 years, with fully armed soldiers and armed personal carriers patrolling the streets of Northern Ireland, gunship helicopters in the air and army bases with massive gun towers all over the north monitoring every movement and even with all that it never stopped the terrorism from happening.

    So knowing all this, how could any Irish person buy into "security theatre"?

    The whole extra airport security thing has no real benefit in stopping terrorists. Literally thousands of guns are either accidentally or purposefully (for testing) snuck onto US flights every year!! The increased security hasn't stopped a single terrorist. It didn't stop the shoe or pants bombers, vigilant passengers did.

    The extra security is only there for psychological purposes, to make people feel more safe about flying. It really wont stop any terrorism.

    So no, there is really no need for ridiculous security measures at ports. Anyway the security at ports is directed at stopping illegal immigrants, criminals trying to leave the country and drug smuggling. Ferries really aren't considered a high threat terrorism target. They are just far too difficult to sink.

    The greatest threat of terrorism in US and UK ports is actually containers. The real fear most security analysts have is some nut job terrorist shipping a nuclear dirty bomb into a UK or US port in a standard transport container.

    +1


  • #39
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    bk wrote: »
    I'm really surprised any Irish person would buy into the whole "Security Theatre" thing.

    On the island of Ireland we had real continuous terrorism for 30 years, with fully armed soldiers and armed personal carriers patrolling the streets of Northern Ireland, gunship helicopters in the air and army bases with massive gun towers all over the north monitoring every movement and even with all that it never stopped the terrorism from happening.

    So knowing all this, how could any Irish person buy into "security theatre"?

    The whole extra airport security thing has no real benefit in stopping terrorists. Literally thousands of guns are either accidentally or purposefully (for testing) snuck onto US flights every year!! The increased security hasn't stopped a single terrorist. It didn't stop the shoe or pants bombers, vigilant passengers did.

    The extra security is only there for psychological purposes, to make people feel more safe about flying. It really wont stop any terrorism.

    So no, there is really no need for ridiculous security measures at ports. Anyway the security at ports is directed at stopping illegal immigrants, criminals trying to leave the country and drug smuggling. Ferries really aren't considered a high threat terrorism target. They are just far too difficult to sink.

    The greatest threat of terrorism in US and UK ports is actually containers. The real fear most security analysts have is some nut job terrorist shipping a nuclear dirty bomb into a UK or US port in a standard transport container.

    Any links to back up the above or is it just hearsay? Incidentally, I totally agree that the threat posed by shipping containers is far the most worrying but that is also dealt with in the same lackadaisical manner by the authorities here. The Customs with their one x-ray scanner truck which is rotated between the ports is beyond a joke as any serious smuggler/terror group would have no difficulty in establishing its location. Slightly poor journalistic report here on tenders for new scanner vans: http://www.irishtrucker.com/news/new-x-ray-van-to-combat-illegal-imports-008682

    Another point, you say increased security hasn't prevented any attacks - how on earth do you know that? Every person picked up because of airport/port security doesn't make the 9 o'clock news!! We only get to hear about the successful evaders - 9/11 etc.


  • #40
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,672 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Any links to back up the above or is it just hearsay?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_Security_Administration#Covert_security_tests.3B_gaming_and_failures

    20 out of 22 tests failed.
    Judgement Day wrote: »
    The Customs with their one x-ray scanner truck which is rotated between the ports is beyond a joke as any serious smuggler/terror group would have no difficulty in establishing its location.

    But lets be honest, Ireland is definitely not a target for a terrorist dirt bomb. US and UK maybe, but not Ireland. Lets be realistic here.
    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Another point, you say increased security hasn't prevented any attacks - how on earth do you know that? Every person picked up because of airport/port security doesn't make the 9 o'clock news!! We only get to hear about the successful evaders - 9/11 etc.

    Because you can guarantee that any real terrorist threat stopped by the TSA would be promoted all over the media. The TSA are getting a lot of bad PR in the US, they would love to have some good news for a change and would shout about it from the highest rooftops if they did.

    Again the TSA didn't catch either the shoe bomber or the pants bomber. Vigilant passengers did.

    The problem with airport security is that it totally ignores the many other ways to bring down a plane. Such as parking a heavy machine gun or shoulder launched missile at the end of the runway. Fun fact the area around Tel Aviv airport is restricted for just this reason. It is heavily patrolled by soldiers and the road into the area has an armed checkpoints and searches. Another fun fact, they have no problem with you carrying a bottle of water onto a plane in Tel Aviv, probably the most secure airport in the world, but they make you dump the same bottle when transferring in Paris.

    And even if you create perfect security, nothing to stop a bunch of guys from walking into the airport and setting off a bomb or a couple of AK-47's and a couple of grenades in the security line, killing many people. This exact thing happened in Tel Aviv in 1978. Improve security at the airport, well just do the same at a school or a shopping center or a sports event.

    Security is hard and costs a lot of money. You always need to balance the cost of it with the realistic change of an actual attack happening. And exactly what terrorist group are we a target for here in Ireland?

    I'm really surprised an Irish person (I'm assuming you are Irish JD) doesn't understand this.


  • #41
    dowlingm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,349 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    Israeli security works on a whole different level. They don't look at what you're carrying, they look at YOU. The profiling techniques they use are those you can get away with when your country is in a perpetual state of emergency and not too concerned about what civil liberties groups have to say about it. The trade off in the rest of the West for trying to be... um... colour blind is the patting down of 6 year olds. It's one of those things there is no "right answer" to until we all wake up one day and stop killing each other for stupid reasons.


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  • #42
    purplepanda
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,130 ✭✭✭purplepanda


    bk wrote: »

    But lets be honest, Ireland is definitely not a target for a terrorist dirt bomb. US and UK maybe, but not Ireland. Lets be realistic here.

    I'm really surprised an Irish person (I'm assuming you are Irish JD) doesn't understand this.

    Amazing how many Irish people seem to believe that a terrorist attack couldn't happen!!!! There will be some radical islamic extremists that consider Ireland to have aided the US military & it's allies by allowing the use of it's airspace, & a landing base & facilties at Shannon airport. That is threat enough for security to be vigilant IMO.

    I


  • #43
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 95,003 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    TBH the I'm more nervous in the queues leading up to security checks it's the most people you will get in one place.
    bk wrote: »
    The greatest threat of terrorism in US and UK ports is actually containers. The real fear most security analysts have is some nut job terrorist shipping a nuclear dirty bomb into a UK or US port in a standard transport container.
    Depending on who you believe the North Koreans already have a few stashed in the states.:pac:

    Ireland has had restrictions on sales of certain types of fertilizer and dry cleaning solvents for a very long time.

    But in other countries you could easily fill a container park with ANFO

    http://www.explosives.org/index.php/component/content/article?id=69
    In the US and Canada alone, blasters use more than 6 billion pounds of explosives and 75 million detonators per year. Coal mining accounts for two-thirds of consumed explosives of which more than 80% of it is ANFO.
    6 billion pounds = 2.7 million tons
    that's about 20,000 Hiroshimas


  • #44
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,672 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    dowlingm wrote: »
    Israeli security works on a whole different level. They don't look at what you're carrying, they look at YOU.

    Actually they take a very close look at what you carry too.

    Last time I went through there, they make you open your laptop and put it through a massive x-ray machine, on it's own.

    They then make you open your bag and they spend about 15 minutes wiping down every hard surface in your bag (shows, bag itself, outside of the water bottle) with a cloth that they constantly place under a chemical/bomb sensor machine.

    All the time the person is asking questions about where you were, where you are going, etc.

    At least the people doing this are pretty young girls, I assume doing their military duty :D

    That is real tight security, if US and European airports were as serious, then they would make you do the same, which they don't, so it is obvious they just do enough to make you "feel" safe when it is mostly ineffective.

    The only real way to stop terrorism is through intelligence gathering and monitoring people of interest.

    I'm not saying there shouldn't be any security at the airport, the pre 9/11 levels of security were perfectly adequate. But all the new procedures like making you take your shoes off, no liquids, full body scanners, etc. add no extra reasonable security.

    But is Islamic terrorism a real threat we have to worry about in Ireland? Tell me so how many millions extra do you think we should spend on extra security? And even if we were to spend millions more, would that stop a terrorist going on a shooting rampage in a school like we saw in France last week?


  • #45
    Carawaystick
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,779 ✭✭✭Carawaystick


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    I do and I'm happy to admit it. Everybody passing in and out of the country should be required to carry a passport, it's pure stupidity the way things currently stand. People with serious criminal convictions -such as Larry Murphy http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=77679974 should be unable to travel freely throughout Europe - they should be unable to obtain passports. It is wishy washy, hand wringing, liberal, pinko policies that have this, and other countries, awash with ne'er-do-wells and it's not political correct to mention it.

    So where would you have the passport checks between Belcoo and Blacklion? or Strabane and Lifford? or Between Jonesboro and Carrickcarnan?

    I thought the likes of rapists being in jail prevented them travelling freely through europe.
    Citizens of mainland europe states don't need any passports to travel in the schengen area. If they lived in Baarle-Naassau, they might not even know which country they were in at any point on the street.

    Where would you draw the line at preventing a citizen from getting a passport? for traffic offences? not paying their household charge? How about Tony Blair or Asthma al Assad? both complicit in mass murder, but not convicted of it.


  • #46
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Carawaystick wrote: »
    So where would you have the passport checks between Belcoo and Blacklion? or Strabane and Lifford? or Between Jonesboro and Carrickcarnan?

    I thought the likes of rapists being in jail prevented them travelling freely through europe.
    Citizens of mainland europe states don't need any passports to travel in the schengen area. If they lived in Baarle-Naassau, they might not even know which country they were in at any point on the street.

    Where would you draw the line at preventing a citizen from getting a passport? for traffic offences? not paying their household charge? How about Tony Blair or Asthma al Assad? both complicit in mass murder, but not convicted of it.

    Why are you quoting EU babble at me - I never said that EU citizens needed passports for internal travel but they damn well should! I travelled for years before the present travel regime came into force and carrying a passport was never a problem for me. Due to the present lack of border controls we haven't a bull's notion who is in the country and don't quote the 2011 census at me please! As for convicted rapists - Larry Murphy served his sentence and was released but I don't think that he should be allowed to travel outside this country - you obviously do?

    If Tony Blair is found guilty of mass murder I would expect him to be locked up and not free to travel so I don't see what you're driving at.

    I'm not hung up on the issue of mass murderers, rapists or terrorists in particular but I think we need to tighten up our overall security big time - as I think do many ordinary members of the public - as opposed to the minority i.e. liberal, hand wringing etc. members of the media and chattering classes.


  • #47
    Carawaystick
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,779 ✭✭✭Carawaystick


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Why are you quoting EU babble at me - I never said that EU citizens needed passports for internal travel but they damn well should! I travelled for years before the present travel regime came into force and carrying a passport was never a problem for me. Due to the present lack of border controls we haven't a bull's notion who is in the country and don't quote the 2011 census at me please! As for convicted rapists - Larry Murphy served his sentence and was released but I don't think that he should be allowed to travel outside this country - you obviously do?

    If Tony Blair is found guilty of mass murder I would expect him to be locked up and not free to travel so I don't see what you're driving at.

    I'm not hung up on the issue of mass murderers, rapists or terrorists in particular but I think we need to tighten up our overall security big time - as I think do many ordinary members of the public - as opposed to the minority i.e. liberal, hand wringing etc. members of the media and chattering classes.
    Last year the Dept of Foreign Affairs went on strike and no one could get a passport in time. Would you really like to see families prevented joining up where they were meeting other family members in the 6 counties? or if they were too skint to get a passport after the govt feiced the country up? I notice you avoided the whole border issue.

    Why do you think it's alright for serious criminals to be loose in this country but not to go abroad?

    Do you think the same security should be in place for internal (non-international) ferries?


  • #48
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Carawaystick wrote: »
    Last year the Dept of Foreign Affairs went on strike and no one could get a passport in time. Would you really like to see families prevented joining up where they were meeting other family members in the 6 counties? or if they were too skint to get a passport after the govt feiced the country up? I notice you avoided the whole border issue.

    Why do you think it's alright for serious criminals to be loose in this country but not to go abroad?

    Do you think the same security should be in place for internal (non-international) ferries?

    The Dept.of Foreign Affairs and its industrial relations problems has little to do with the principal of whether or not that proper identity documents should be carried by travellers in and out of the country.

    Irish criminals should not become an export commodity - why should they be inflicted on other countries. Perhaps the answer is to issue them with special passports indicating their previous activities and let their destination country decide whether to let them in or not?

    Why would I think that internal ferries - anymore than internal bus services should have security checks? If you can't be arsed to debate at an adult level don't bother replying.


  • #49
    ArmaniJeanss
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,823 ✭✭✭✭ArmaniJeanss


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Why are you quoting EU babble at me - I never said that EU citizens needed passports for internal travel but they damn well should! I travelled for years before the present travel regime came into force and carrying a passport was never a problem for me. Due to the present lack of border controls we haven't a bull's notion who is in the country and don't quote the 2011 census at me please! As for convicted rapists - Larry Murphy served his sentence and was released but I don't think that he should be allowed to travel outside this country - you obviously do?

    If Tony Blair is found guilty of mass murder I would expect him to be locked up and not free to travel so I don't see what you're driving at.

    I'm not hung up on the issue of mass murderers, rapists or terrorists in particular but I think we need to tighten up our overall security big time - as I think do many ordinary members of the public - as opposed to the minority i.e. liberal, hand wringing etc. members of the media and chattering classes.

    I travelled for years myself between England and Ireland by ferry never needing a passport. When I had to go further afield I needed a passport, as I still do.

    By the way its beyond tiresome that anyone who doesn't share your extreme viewpoints is and I quote a few examples, 'wishy washy', 'hand wringers', 'pinko liberals'.


  • #50
    dowlingm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,349 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    Carawaystick - JD mentioned Larry Murphy, who the word as (click the link) was in Spain. Spain is outside the Common Travel Area, thus he would have required a passport. There would be nothing stopping LM going to NI or the UK, but given the difference between the UK-Ireland Travel Area and the Schengen Zone I think it's fair enough not to count the UK as "roaming around Europe"

    Also - there have been threads in the past here and RUI I think about random border checks looking for non-UK/Ireland nationals crossing the border, who do not have an automatic entitlement to the Common Travel Area where visas are an issue.


  • #51
    CiaranC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,300 ✭✭✭CiaranC


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    I'm not hung up on the issue of mass murderers, rapists or terrorists in particular but I think we need to tighten up our overall security big time - as I think do many ordinary members of the public - as opposed to the minority i.e. liberal, hand wringing etc. members of the media and chattering classes.

    Why do you want more security getting on the ferry in isolation? Ive never been searched getting on a bus or train, maybe you support bringing that in too. How about police checkpoints where we can prove our innocence of terrorism every 500 metres throughout the city, East-German style?

    If you think that the majority of people in this country support turning Ireland into a police state so you can feel more safe, you are off your head. No end of your 'pinko' ranting will change the fact that we like to live in a liberal democracy.


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  • #52
    seanmacc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 771 ✭✭✭seanmacc


    As someone who works for a particular ferry company that operates in Dublin Port I would say that security is far from a joke. There is a totally different attitude to security in Ireland than there is in the UK. A lot of people from Britain, when they see layers upon layers of visible security measures like patting people down, checking ID, pulling apart bags and cars and have police with MP5's walking all over the place they actually feel safer and it gives the appearance of a water tight system. What you don't see in Dublin Port is a vast sophisticated camera system with vehicle registration reading software that covers around 90% of the port area.
    What you don't see either is customs officers. Customs have a huge operation in Dublin Port and a lot of their officers walk around in plain clothing keeping an eye on who's going on the passenger ferries. Chances are that your checked in baggage has had the customs dog over it. Customs get advanced manifests of booked traffic (Cars, foot passengers and Freight) as well as the final manifest when the ship sails. This info is sent automatically to the Gardai also. There is also a very strong presence of plain clothes Gardai around the port.
    During extraordinarily busy sailings the ferry companies do employ additional security, most of which is invisible on the ship.
    The security measures you see in Holyhead are more so for show and are not really any more effective than those in Dublin Port.


  • #53
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,672 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Thanks seanmacc, yup the tactics employed in the British side sounds exactly like "Security Theatre" nothing but a psychological trick to make people like JD feel "safer" about traveling.

    The tactics you describe the Irish using sound more like intelligence lead security and are more in line with what the Israeli's use and typically far more effective.


  • #54
    Dodge
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,502 ✭✭✭✭Dodge


    Surprised nobody has mentioned the ferry companies (rightfully) advertising themselves as a 'hassle free' method of travel to the UK. Its really in their interest to keep security in Dublin as underwraps as possible.

    I'd also argue very strongly that Judgement Day (above) doesn't speak for the majority of people (as he claims) when he starts talking about stronger borders between Ireland and Britain. In fact I'd say there would be unseen uproar in Ireland if either state initiated border controls in Ulster


  • #55
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    CiaranC wrote: »
    Why do you want more security getting on the ferry in isolation? Ive never been searched getting on a bus or train, maybe you support bringing that in too. How about police checkpoints where we can prove our innocence of terrorism every 500 metres throughout the city, East-German style?

    If you think that the majority of people in this country support turning Ireland into a police state so you can feel more safe, you are off your head. No end of your 'pinko' ranting will change the fact that we like to live in a liberal democracy.

    Why don't you read what I post as opposed to what you think I post? :rolleyes:


  • #56
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Dodge wrote: »
    Surprised nobody has mentioned the ferry companies (rightfully) advertising themselves as a 'hassle free' method of travel to the UK. Its really in their interest to keep security in Dublin as underwraps as possible.

    I'd also argue very strongly that Judgement Day (above) doesn't speak for the majority of people (as he claims) when he starts talking about stronger borders between Ireland and Britain. In fact I'd say there would be unseen uproar in Ireland if either state initiated border controls in Ulster

    Security isn't kept 'underwraps' as you put it - it's patchy to non-existent! What part of the news items about the x-ray scanner truck that spends half of its time on the road between Rosslare and Dublin do you not understand?? Clearly from reading some of the posts I'm am mistaken in my belief that Ireland is awash with illegal drugs, firearms etc. and in fact the customs/gardai etc. are doing a wonderful job (compared to the Brits) and we actually live in Utopia.


  • #57
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,672 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Security isn't kept 'underwraps' as you put it - it's patchy to non-existent! What part of the news items about the x-ray scanner truck that spends half of its time on the road between Rosslare and Dublin do you not understand?? Clearly from reading some of the posts I'm am mistaken in my belief that Ireland is awash with illegal drugs, firearms etc. and in fact the customs/gardai etc. are doing a wonderful job (compared to the Brits) and we actually live in Utopia.

    Tell me did all the heavily armed soldiers and armed personal carriers, helicopters, check points, army bases, etc. for 30 years in Northern Ireland stop it being awash with firearms, drugs and explosives?

    No, it didn't.

    All the security in the world at ferry ports isn't going to stop that either.

    Instead careful Garda surveillance and intelligence gathering of criminal gangs is the only way to realistically reduce this. Having Gardai stand around frisking people and looking mean, will do little to reduce crime. But it might make you feel better.


  • #58
    kippy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,244 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Security isn't kept 'underwraps' as you put it - it's patchy to non-existent! What part of the news items about the x-ray scanner truck that spends half of its time on the road between Rosslare and Dublin do you not understand?? Clearly from reading some of the posts I'm am mistaken in my belief that Ireland is awash with illegal drugs, firearms etc. and in fact the customs/gardai etc. are doing a wonderful job (compared to the Brits) and we actually live in Utopia.

    I've said it earlier, drugs, guns, illegal activity is far more feasible by not coming through the ports. We have three thousand miles+ of shoreline. The ports are not the issue, as has been seen on this thread and elsewhere security is as good as anywhere at the ports.


    If we need to increase vigilence/security anywhere its on our seas/coastal areas.


  • #59
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    kippy wrote: »
    I've said it earlier, drugs, guns, illegal activity is far more feasible by not coming through the ports. We have three thousand miles+ of shoreline. The ports are not the issue, as has been seen on this thread and elsewhere security is as good as anywhere at the ports.


    If we need to increase vigilence/security anywhere its on our seas/coastal areas.

    Agreed, but that's for another thread and not in this forum.


  • #60
    Dodge
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,502 ✭✭✭✭Dodge


    Judgement Day wrote: »
    Clearly from reading some of the posts I'm am mistaken in my belief that Ireland is awash with illegal drugs, firearms etc. and in fact the customs/gardai etc. are doing a wonderful job (compared to the Brits) and we actually live in Utopia.

    hang on, you're saying the Brits do a better job and then use drugs, firearms as your basis for this? Do you honestly believe there are less drugs and firearms (even per capita) on the streets of Britain compared to Ireland? Laughable. Keep using "awash" and other tabloid BS terms though.

    As has been said above, increased/lack of security at ports has NOTHING to do with these issues.


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  • #61
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    bk wrote: »
    Tell me did all the heavily armed soldiers and armed personal carriers, helicopters, check points, army bases, etc. for 30 years in Northern Ireland stop it being awash with firearms, drugs and explosives?

    No, it didn't.

    All the security in the world at ferry ports isn't going to stop that either.

    Instead careful Garda surveillance and intelligence gathering of criminal gangs is the only way to realistically reduce this. Having Gardai stand around frisking people and looking mean, will do little to reduce crime. But it might make you feel better.

    Given the level of violence in NI, I think the security forces did a damn good job keeping the lid on things. How would you have dealt with it - pretended it wasn't happening?


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