Armed response September 30, 2020
Posted by guestposter in Uncategorized.trackback
“The big issue was, do we know how many are carrying guns? And if they are what are they doing with them,” said Chief Supt Brian Sutton of the Special Tactics and Operations Command, explaining the reasons behind the 2019 review. He said the review found people who were promoted or assigned to a desk-based job were still being issued weapons despite having little use for them. “These were people who would only have their gun when they’re going to the range for training.”
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
The armed Guards are not at all held in good odour for gun safety by the *other* armed force in the State.
There were persistent rumours about who fired the fatal shots in the Don Tidey episode, and there was a big bank shootout in Co. Kildare in the Nineties where it later emerged (after initial breathless planted ‘crime correspondent’ stories about Garda bravery) that the numerous shot Guards and civilians couldn’t have been the work of the bank-robbers, whose guns were actually unloaded.
LikeLike
Interesting. Got to say the very thought that firearms are not carefully supervised is not a good one.
LikeLike
A consistent thing I have heard or read when it comes to armed law enforcement is that when bullets start flying, police hold the trigger down until the clip is empty. In some cases it is what they are just trained to do, in other cases it’s just blind fear/surge of adrenaline. And that’s cops who have a gun from day one. For Guard’s who would be unfortunate to ever have to fire their weapon “legitimately” even once in their careers, I can imagine that it would be much the same or worse. In the moment there is little thought for what’s actually in your range, it’s just pull the trigger until the people trying to kill me stop.
I think the vast majority of guards who have died in the line of duty were in car accidents, so it’s not like there seems to be an immediate pressing need for non ARU types to be carrying sidearms. Am I wrong? Is there data to suggest that the carrying of a sidearm has been a net benefit to these guards in terms of lives saved?
LikeLike
The son of the soldier killed at Ballinamore is wheeled out every election to try and damage SF.For what its worth Republicans insisted from day one they didnt kill him.Also as far as I remember the inquest was very iffy and a prosecution decades after didnt result in a murder conviction.Private Kelly’s son might’nt get the answer he is being steered to get if the truth actually did come out.Also I would’nt be surprised if the outcome of a very recent case involves “not fit to stand trial” or something similar to avoid the full facts emerging.
LikeLike
A small ARU division are the only members of the Garda who showed be armed full-stop.
LikeLike
I was surprised to read that so many Guards had guns, and it makes sense to reduce the number.
But, in the grand scheme of things, this is something that Ireland basically gets right since the number of police shootings is tiny.
The only controversial police shooting I can remember was the Abbeylara case.
In the US, that kind of thing happens every day of the week.
LikeLike