The decision has been made to increase security.
Armed Garda units have been dispatched to cities around Ireland as part of beefed up security in the wake of Saturday night’s terror attack in London.
According to TheJournal.ie, members of the Garda Armed Support Unit (ASU) have been directed to Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Kilkenny and began their duties on Sunday evening at 7pm.
The units are separate from the armed Emergency Response Unit (ERU), but have received similar training with members of the ASU being selected by applicants from within An Garda Síochana.
The ASU was set up last year and initially was used in patrolling areas of Dublin at risk to gangland murders, but it’s understood that the ASU will be sending some of their 55 members to cities around the country.
A terrorist attack is deemed to be possible in Ireland but unlikely but the move is seen as a proactive one aimed at preventing any attacks similar to that of London on Saturday or Manchester a fortnight ago.
On Friday, four new Garda units also went live in the country in an effort to crack down on sex crimes and domestic abuse.
The new units will focus on specialised crime types, including sexual crimes, human trafficking, child and domestic abuse.
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