THE GARDA's new armed regional support units will be deployed to handle any situation requiring an armed response and not just siege incidents, as had previously been expected.
Members of the units will be called upon to assist unarmed uniformed gardaí in performing a wide range of tasks, including conducting searches in gun crime black spots and executing arrest warrants when gangland criminals are being targeted.
Launching two support unit pilot programmes for Cork and Limerick yesterday, Assistant Commissioner Nacie Rice said the units would not threaten the predominantly unarmed status of the force.
"The principles of An Garda Síochána have not changed since the foundation of the State.
The guard that you will meet on the street, that will deal with you, will be an unarmed guard," he said.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has voiced concern at the project, however.
AGSI general secretary Joe Dirwan said the new system "blurs the traditional ethos of the unarmed, uniformed gardaí, which has served this country so well".
He believed response units made up of plainclothes detective members, who have always been armed, would be more appropriate.
However, AGSI has agreed to participate in the pilot programme.
Speaking at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, during the formal launch of the pilot units yesterday, Mr Rice said in some ways the creation of the new units was a "sad reflection on the modern day".
However, he and the Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy believed the units were necessary to help protect unarmed Garda members who might unexpectedly encounter incidents involving firearms.
The new units have been provided with custom-built XC70 Volvo vehicles. Four vehicles have been delivered to date, with a further 26 on order from Volvo.
The cars have enhanced engines and braking and suspension systems.
They have also been fitted with secure compartments in which a range of firearms and less-than-lethal weapons will be stored until they are needed.
Groups of between two and three regional support unit members will patrol in their vehicle in their Garda divisions. When they are called on to respond to a situation, they will place an "armed response unit" sticker on the outside of their vehicle.
They will don armed response, or "tactical", uniforms, including baseball caps and shirts, which will differentiate them from other Garda members.
In extreme cases they will wear full bullet-resistant suits.
They will then access their weapons in their vehicles and make their way to the required location.
Two regional support unit cars will operate immediately in both Cork and Limerick, meaning up to six members will be deployed at any one time in both places.
It is envisaged the units will be rolled out across the country by the end of next year.
The decision to establish the units was made after the Garda Inspectorate, which advises senior Garda management on ways to develop the force, said they were needed.
The inspectorate reviewed the report of the Barr tribunal of inquiry into the shooting dead of John Carthy by the Emergency Response Unit in Abbeylara.
Its review concluded that second-tier armed response teams were needed around the country to contain incidents involving firearms pending the arrival of the Emergency Response Unit.
A Garda working group, which included the Garda representative associations, was established under Mr Rice and studied best international practice before formulating the details of the new response units.
The units are made up of experienced Garda members who applied for their new positions. Successful applicants underwent a rigorous selection process, including an intense 13-week training programme.