UP TO 10,000 Garda and Defence Forces personnel will be involved in the major security operations being put in place for the visits to the Republic later this month of Queen Elizabeth and US President Barack Obama.
The operations will mean the Garda will have to draft members from around the country into areas where both dignitaries will visit because traditional Garda staffing levels in those locations will not be sufficient.
Gardaí believe the visit of the Queen, which at four days is much longer than President Obama’s, is the main security concern, despite the recent US killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
As well as the high visibility crowd control policing planned for key events on both visits, gardaí are also prepared to deal with robust forms of on-street protest and other incidents such as a terrorist attack.
Up to 8,000 gardaí will be deployed during the visits, while the Defence Forces will use around 1,500 personnel to bolster the security operations.
Garda sources said the possibility of a direct attack on the Queen or President Obama is limited, as both will be well protected by gardaí and their own heavily armed personal security officers.
There are concerns that some groups, including dissident republicans, will seek to draw attention to themselves by engaging in major protest actions or detonating explosive devices or bombs somewhere in Ireland or the UK, particularly during the Queen’s visit.
Teams of gardaí and troops have been combing sewerage systems for any devices in Dublin and other areas outside the capital including Kildare, Tipperary and Cork that will be visited by the Queen and President Obama.
On April 21st a device was thrown at the Wellington Monument in Trim, Co Meath, causing a small blast. Gardaí believe this was linked to the Queen’s visit.
Last month the runway at Baldonnel, the Defence Forces airport where the Queen will enter the State, was damaged by vandals.
A major security operation has been put in place around Baldonnel and at “target monuments” such as the Victoria Monument in Dún Laoghaire, south Dublin, to prevent similar attacks.
Garda leave has been cancelled for both visits, and gardaí are expected to work a new 12-hour on, 12-hour off roster, instead of their usual eight-hour shifts.
“It means we can use two sets of personnel rather than three to cover a 24-hour period in one location,” said one Garda source.
Rest days enjoyed by gardaí between blocks of shift work have been cancelled.
The republican group Éirígí has called for people to occupy the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin’s north inner city from next Sunday in protest at the Queen’s visit there on May 17th.
Anyone occupying that site will be asked to leave by gardaí, and if they refuse they will be forcibly removed, according to sources.
Gardaí will be checking whether supporters of such groups travel from the North in a bid to stage a serious disturbance at or near any of the sites being visited by the Queen.
Gardaí are anxious to avoid embarrassing scenes of rioting and looting like those seen on Dublin’s O’Connell Street during the Love Ulster parade in 2006.
Thousands of gardaí dressed in full riot gear will be on discreet standby to deal with any serious disturbances in all parts of the country to be visited by both the Queen and President Obama.
A large number of plainclothes armed detectives will also be deployed on the ground in all of those locations and these will be backed by the Garda helicopter, dog unit and mounted unit.
The Garda water unit will also patrol stretches of water, including the River Liffey, as part of efforts to impose a “maximum security and surveillance” operation. The emergency response unit and regional support unit – effectively armed rapid response forces – will also be on standby on the ground in all visit locations.
