The sight of anti-immigration and far-right protesters, some hooded and masked, swarming around Finglas Garda Station on Wednesday night led to the deployment of public order trained gardaí. Here we look at how an operation is carried out by gardaí.
THE SIGHT OF anti-immigration and far-right protesters swarm around Finglas Garda Station on Wednesday night led to the deployment of public order trained gardaí.
Garda sources have noted that not only are many of the protesters anti-migrant, but they are also anti-politician and anti-garda. Many of those involved also protested against vaccines and mask mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic – some of whom identify as sovereign citizens – a global political ideology that State laws do not apply to them.
With any movement that may threaten the peace, gardaí start with intelligence operations. With any organisation that may be endangering the security of the State – the primary intelligence agency involved is the National Crime and Security Intelligence Agency. Those sources have said that there are elements within the anti-immigration protests associated with organised crime – and that this is also informing how they monitor the situation.
On 1 May 2004 during a European Union conference in Dublin, gardaí deployed water cannon in skirmishes with groups protesting at the gates of the Phoenix Park. The violence broke out after gardaí prevented the marchers from approaching Farmleigh, the government guesthouse where a dinner of EU leaders was being held.
Sources have said that many protest groups will engage with gardaí ahead of the march but it is understood that the far-right groups do not do this. They have an ability to deploy barriers around buildings such as the Dáil - and also can use a public order law to control access and carry out searches on specific streets and areas.
An overall commander, who is specifically trained in large-scale policing, is employed to manage the situation usually in a control room who then has inspectors and sergeants acting as their on-the-ground commanders. As the incident develops, the commander in the control room then, using reports from on the ground, from CCTV or footage from the garda helicopter if available, will make a decision.
Do you leave soft cap gardaí in place and risk them being injured – these decisions are huge calls and they are being made in seconds – the problem of course is that if it goes wrong you’ll be writing on it for years trying to explain that split second decision.” Public Order Unit The public order unit would normally be “staging up” close by and can be called into the scene very quickly – either on foot or in vans – was was the case in Finglas on Wednesday.
One source, who is aware of public order policing in Dublin city centre, said that while on the ground gardaí may be calling for them to be deployed, the officer in command will hold them back. Arrest teams can also be deployed to arrest aggressive people – the decision to make arrests is in the hands of the individual garda.
While public order arrests can be made on the street by individual gardaí a lot of the arrests for serious disorder such as affray or riot are taken later.
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