The Garda’s frontline armed unit for Dublin is at crisis point because it does not have enough officers, insiders warned last night.
Sources claim the elite Armed Support Unit has seen numbers slump in the past year – with almost 20 members moving and only seven new recruits in.
While management strongly defended resources in the unit, insiders said its officers – who are the first responders to armed incidents in the Dublin area including gangland shootings, sieges and anti-terror operations – are at breaking point.
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One source said: “We are at the bare bones.
“It’s going to take someone getting seriously hurt or worse for people to wake up.”
Detective Garda Ciaran O’Neill, who speaks for the ASU members, said: “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 back-up for our members on the frontline.”
A spokesman at Garda HQ last night said: “We are happy to clarify there is effective operational capacity operating within the ASU based in the DMR and a competition for the ASU is ongoing.”
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