The Garda's frontline armed unit for Dublin is at crisis point because it does not have enough officers to protect the city, insiders warned last night.
Sources say that the elite Armed Support Unit has seen its numbers slump in the last year – with almost 20 members moving and only seven new recruits making it through the tough training regime.
However, Garda management strongly defended resources in the unit last night - and insisted there was an effective capacity in the ASU and officers were being recruited to it.
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But insiders have now revealed that members of the unit – who are tasked with being the first responders to armed incidents in the Dublin area including gangland shootings, sieges and anti-terror operations – are at breaking point.
One source said: “We are at the bare bones.
“We are only able to fill the minimum requirements as a result of getting lads in on overtime every day. Even with that it’s absolute bare bones.
“It’s going to take someone getting seriously hurt or worse as things stand for people to wake up.”
And another insider said: “It is the biggest mess to hit the job in a long time,.
“The ASU numbers for Dublin are now at their lowest since it was established back in the day.
“We are only surviving because lads are being called in to work overtime.
“There is a competition running since 2019 to replace the members that have been lost and so far only seven gardai have been trained - but haven’t even started yet.
“These 7 haven’t won’t even fill the cracks of the members that have been lost.
“At least 15 more from the 2019 competition are ready to start training but it just hasn’t happened yet.”
The Irish Mirror has established the number of ASU personnel on duty in the DMR - the Garda’s Dublin Metropolitan region that stretches from Balbriggan to the Wicklow border – has fallen by about 40% in a year, although we have been asked not to reveal the actual numbers for security reasons.
And last night the Garda Representative Association – which represents most members of the unit - told The Star it was concerned that the squad was not fully staffed.
GRA rep Detective Garda Ciaran O’Neill, who speaks for the ASU members, said: “The Armed Support Unit are there to provide an urgent armed response to support our frontline members when needed.
“It is extremely worrying for both gardai and the public we serve that this unit is not operating at full capacity.
“There is now an urgent need for the members successful in the recent recruitment process to the ASU to be adequately trained to provide an appropriate backup for our members on the frontline.”
Garda HQ last night said: “An Garda Síochána does not specifically comment on the operational deployment or training of resources, either generally or in specific units.
“However An Garda Síochána is happy to clarify that there is currently effective operational capacity at this time operating within the Armed Support Unit (ASU) based in the DMR and that a current competition for the ASU is ongoing.”
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