‘The dwindling number of paramilitary prisoners’ April 15, 2024
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
A call has been made for the Government to immediately end the use of soldiers for security at Portlaoise prison and to stop “wasting €1.9 million on a small number of prisoners who could easily be held securely under the normal prison regime”.
Fianna Fáil TD Éamon Ó Cúiv said circumstances had changed “dramatically” since the Army was first used more than 50 years ago to provide security at the prison for republican paramilitaries.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin told him that the ending of security by the Defence Forces as an aid to the civil power “is the direction of travel”.
Which is interesting in itself, but a factor is the following:
But the numbers of soldiers involved had dropped since the plan was first mooted almost two years ago because of the dwindling number of paramilitary prisoners. The prison’s E Wing, which is used to house republican paramilitaries, had just 13 out of 75 beds occupied in July 2022.
That must reflect the general level of activity, or lack of same, on the part of paramilitary groups.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
That’s a frustrating article.
Is a call by a TD who is not known for expertise in the operational details of security a reason for changing the basis of a security regime? Do the soldiers deal with the prisoners or the people the prisoners deal with (visitors, family, lawyers, etc.)? Are any of the 13 prisoners involved with organisations that might use paramilitary tactics to help the prisoners escape? If so, do the civilian powers – gardaí or prison wardens – have the resources to respond to a paramilitary attack?
I’m no security expert, so my questions might be utter bull dung, but in the article, Cuiv doesn’t come across as much of a security expert either.
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