Garda Regional Support Unit
Encyclopedia
Garda Regional Support Units are specialised armed units of the Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

 - the police force of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. Similar to the firearms units
Firearms unit
A firearms unit is a specialised, armed unit within each territorial police force in the United Kingdom. For the most part, the police forces of the United Kingdom are unarmed; however, all have firearms units to provide the police force with the capability to deal with armed criminals...

 of British police forces, these Garda units carry a combination of lethal and less-lethal weapons.

Background

The first Regional Support Unit (RSU) was formed in 2008 after the recommendations of the Barr Tribunal
Barr Tribunal
The Barr Tribunal was a Public Inquiry in the Republic of Ireland established by Resolutions passed by the Dáil Éireann and the Seanad Éireann on the 17 and 18 April 2002, and by Instrument entitled Tribunals of Inquiry Evidence Acts 1921 Instrument 2002 made by the Minister for Justice, Equality...

 brought the Emergency Response Unit
Emergency Response Unit (Garda)
The Emergency Response Unit of the Garda Síochána is a specialist armed intervention unit under the Special Detective Unit, formed to deal with situations that cannot be handled by regular Garda officers.-History:...

's existence and role to public attention, and questioned the Dublin based unit's ability to reach other areas of the country quickly.

Regional Support Units are assigned to support individual Garda regions - administrative areas drawn on geographical lines which include the Eastern, Northern, Southern, South-Eastern and Western regions. The first RSU was formed on a pilot basis in the Southern Region (the administrative area which includes Cork, Limerick and Kerry). Other units have subsequently been established or planned for the Eastern, Western and Northern Regions.

Duties

An armed Regional Support Unit may be called-in to support local Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

 in certain high-risk operations.
This principally involves offering armed assistance to otherwise unarmed Gardaí who are dealing with an incident in which firearms have been produced. It may also include:
  1. Armed response in anti-criminal operations
  2. Execution of high-risk warrants and searches, including forced entry
  3. Regional specialised patrols

Training and manpower

RSU officers undergo training over a thirteen week period, which includes instruction in critical incident response; tactical deployment; conflict resolution/negotiation techniques; deployment protocols & controls; entry methods; tactical driving; first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...

; the use of less lethal options & firearms and other relevant skills.

The membership of the Regional Support Unit consists exclusively of serving officers in the Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

. Each Regional Support Unit has 24 members. The command of the RSU is the Regional Detective Superintendent.

Weapons

Members of the RSU are equipped similarly to members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit
Emergency Response Unit (Garda)
The Emergency Response Unit of the Garda Síochána is a specialist armed intervention unit under the Special Detective Unit, formed to deal with situations that cannot be handled by regular Garda officers.-History:...

. RSU weapons include the Heckler & Koch MP7
Heckler & Koch MP7
The MP7 is a German submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch and chambered for the 4.6×30mm cartridge. It was designed with the new cartridge to meet NATO requirements published in 1989, as these requirements call for a personal defense weapon class firearm, with a greater ability to defeat...

, and Benelli M4 Super 90
Benelli M4 Super 90
The Benelli M4 Super 90 is an Italian semi-automatic shotgun manufactured by Benelli Armi S.P.A.-History:On May 4, 1998, the U.S. Army Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ issued Solicitation #DAAE30-98-R-0401, requesting submissions for a new 12 gauge,...

 and SIG Sauer P226 pistols. RSU units also carry less-lethal weapons such as Taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...

, Pepper Spray
Pepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...

 and Bean bag round.

Vehicles

Regional Support Units use the Volvo XC70 (a variant of the V70
Volvo V70
The Volvo V70 is a mid-size five-door estate car / station wagon manufactured by Volvo Cars since 2000. It is closely related to the S70, S60 and S80 saloons, as well as the four-wheel drive Cross Country and XC70....

) as their Armed Response Vehicle
Armed Response Vehicle
An armed response vehicle is a type of police car operated by the British police. ARVs are crewed by Authorised Firearms Officers to respond to emergency telephone calls believed to involve firearms or other high-risk situations...

. These cars are specially modified and clearly identifiable from other Garda vehicles by battenburg markings, the word "GARDA" written in large blue letters, and the words "ARMED SUPPORT UNIT" in red lettering. Each car has a blue bar light on the roof with a message scroller bearing the term "GARDA ARMED SUPPORT UNIT".

See also

  • Emergency Response Unit (Garda)
    Emergency Response Unit (Garda)
    The Emergency Response Unit of the Garda Síochána is a specialist armed intervention unit under the Special Detective Unit, formed to deal with situations that cannot be handled by regular Garda officers.-History:...

  • Specialist Firearms Command
    Specialist Firearms Command
    Central Operations Specialist Firearms Command is a Central Operations branch within Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Command is responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the service, which is normally unarmed...

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