Garda Emergency Response Unit

TheEmergency Response Unit(ERU) (Irish:Aonad Práinnfhreagartha) is thepolice tactical unitof theGarda Síochána,Ireland's national police and security service. The unit was a section of the forces'Special Detective Unit(SDU), under theCrime and Security Branch(CSB)until 2017, when the Special Tactics and Operational Command was created to take over its operational duties alongside Armed Support Units.
The Garda ERU provides the highest tier offirearmsresponse to Irish law enforcement, specialising in weapons tactics,counter-terrorism, execution of high-risk missions,crisis negotiation,hostage rescueandclose protection, among other roles. The unit was formed in 1977 as the "Special Task Force" to assist ordinary members of the force in extraordinary situations. The ERU regularly trains with the IrishArmy Ranger Wing(ARW), the country's militaryspecial operations forces, sharing facilities and equipment.
The Emergency Response Unit is responsible for handling the following operations in service of theGarda Síochána;
In addition to these roles, the Garda ERU has airborne capabilities (helicopters) provided by theGarda Air Support Unit(GASU) andIrish Air Corpswhen required,seaborne capabilities provided by theGarda Water Support Unitwhen needed,dog handlers(working with theGarda Dog Support Unit),sniper teams,paramedics,hostage negotiators (Garda Hostage Negotiation Section/HNS) andpsychologists.
The Special Task Force (STF) was formed on 15 December 1977 following an agreement on international terrorism at theEuropean Councilmeeting inBrussels,Belgiumin July 1976 on responding to terrorism.Garda officers had earlier conducted a study tour of the special units of the German Federal PoliceGSG 9and Belgian GendarmerieSpeciaal Interventie Eskadron(SIE).The Special Task Force was based out ofHarcourt Street,Dublin(where it is still headquartered today), under the umbrella of the GardaSpecial Branch(now Special Detective Unit). Many of the unit's first challenges were in combating the increasing threat of theProvisional IRAparamilitarygroup duringThe Troubles.On 17 March 1984, Special Task Force detectives capturedDominic McGlinchey, then considered leader of theIrish National Liberation Army(INLA), at a house in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare following a gun battle in which an officer was seriously injured.In 1984, STF members underwent training with the Army Ranger Wing (ARW) forming the Anti-Terrorist Unit.The Anti-Terrorist Unit was renamed to the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) in 1987 to better reflect its role.
In the aftermath of the 2001September 11 attacksin theUnited States, the ERU became a member of theATLAS Network, aEuropean Union(EU) organisation consisting of 32special police unitsacross Europe. More recently, the ERU has been deployed to trouble spots in Dublin City andLimerick Cityin a combined Garda effort to tacklegun violence, resulting in a 92% decline of firearms offences related toorganised crime.Regular uniformed Gardaí (police officers) in Ireland are unarmed.
In 2017, operational command of the ERU was placed under the STOC to better reflect the Garda's mandate to provide firearms support and training under one command.
Membership of the Emergency Response Unit consists exclusively of serving officers in theGarda Síochána. It is understood to have more than 100full-timeofficers on active duty.The head of the ERU is ofDetective Chief Superintendentrank. By extension, ERU members are part of the Special Detective Unit, most are generallydetectivesbut have few investigative duties. The identity of the unit's officers is highly sensitive, and when giving evidence incourt, they are not named, appear behind a curtain and may have their voice altered. The ERU operates from a number of secret bases nationally.
The ERU includes a number of trained specialists, such as advanced drivers,marksmen,spotters,intelligence officers,communicationstechnicians, close protection officers, weapons instructors,bomb disposal(explosives) experts,chemical, biological, radiological and nuclearexperts,sky marshals, dog handlers and medics.All ERU operators are trained in handlingsemi-automatic pistols,shotguns,submachine guns,personal defense weapons,assault rifles,sniper riflesandless lethal weapons. Shifts are up to 12 hours, with a minimum of 8 hours break between shifts, and many officers work 6 days a week. Pay, apart fromovertimeandexpensesincurred, is no different from uniformed Gardaí of the same rank.
A number of tactical teams are on duty at any one time, with usually at least one in training or carrying out exercises. ERU operators are distinguished by their black tactical uniforms with "GARDA" and "POLICE" emblazoned in yellow across their chest and back. However, approximately 80% of ERU operations are carried out inplainclothes.
Training is carried out at the Garda Tactical Training Unit, established in 1983 under the authority of theGarda Síochána CollegeinTemplemore,County Tipperary. The Army Ranger Wing "Tactical Town" or "Tac Town" in theCurragh Camp,County Kildareis also routinely used by the ERU, and operators receive further specialised training at theFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI)National AcademyinQuantico,Virginiain the United States.An officer's journey into the ranks of the ERU begins with a notorious two-week initiation dubbed "hell week", where candidates are both physically and mentally assessed. Examinations include tasks to be completed within a set amount of time both on land and in water. Failure during the recruitment process is extremely high (95%), but those who complete the tests successfully are then put through a number of more specific, rigorous exercises, where their suitability for the unit is determined.Aspiring ERU officers must have at least 4 years experience as a uniformed Garda with an unblemished disciplinary record before attempting to join the unit.The unit is admittedly male-dominated, but there are understood to be a number of women who have worked and work in the ERU.
ERU officers are required to qualify three times per year for all firearms being used by the unit, complete regular fitness tests and psychological examinations. ERU officers are also subject to stringentbackground checksby the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU). Failure to pass these assessments may mean expulsion from operational duties. As part of their training, each member of the squad is made to sample the impact of their own non-lethal weapons, including being subdued by aTaserand must perform tasks after being hit withpepper sprayin the eyes. All ERU operators are trained in advanced police driving,hand-to-hand combat(unarmed),close quarters combat(CQC) with and without the use of weaponry,climbing,abseilingandfirst aid.
Members of the ERU train regularly alongsideRegional Support Units(RSU), the Army Ranger Wing andExplosive Ordnance Disposal(EOD) teams in Ireland, and abroad with; thePolice Service of Northern Ireland(PSNI)Special Operations Branch(SOB) andMetropolitan Police Service(MPS)Specialist Firearms Command(SCO19) in theUnited Kingdom, and FBIHostage Rescue Team(HRT) in the US, as well as similar organisations inFrance(RAID&GIGN),Germany(GSG 9),NetherlandsandFinland.The unit also conducts large scale scenario-based exercises each year with multiple other Garda units. Following the2011 Norway attacks, officers fromDelta, theNorwegian Police Servicetactical unit, came to Ireland to receive training from the Garda ERU, showing how highly the unit are regarded internationally.
The Garda ERU is a member of theATLAS Network, who share best practice and establish protocol concerning tactics, weapons and equipment.While the ERUarmouryincludes dozens of firearms, the standard issue pistol is the self-loading 9mmSIG Sauer P226, which officers carry on and off duty. Tactical teams carry rifles, depending on the operation, the most common being theHeckler & Koch HK416assault rifle andHeckler & Koch MP7personal defense weapon.Tasersare also carried as standard by tactical teams. In addition to firearms, ERU operators carry routine police equipment such as aknife,ASP baton,pepper spray,flashlightandhandcuffs.First aid kits,firefightingequipment andrespiratorsare commonly carried.Protective clothingfor tactical teams includesballistic armourfor the head, neck, torso and limbs (includingbulletproof vest,combat helmetandballistic eyewear),fire-retardant fabricandcombat boots.
Other equipment used includes aballistic shield,breaching apparatus(including explosives for dynamic entry),audiovisualequipment (includingnight visionequipment) and secure communications (TETRAencrypted devices). The ERU has a large pool ofunmarked police vehicles, most of which are modified high-performance vehicles, includingarmoured vehicles,command and control vehiclesandtactical assault vehicles.The ERU trains with other Garda units and the Air Corps in the utilisation of helicopters (AgustaWestland AW139andEurocopter EC135) andrigid-hulled inflatable boats(RIB), and has quick access to these when required.
In order for the Emergency Response Unit to be deployed in theDublin Metropolitan Region(DMR), a request must be made by the Divisional Officer to either the Detective Chief Superintendent of theSpecial Detective Unit, or theAssistant Commissionerin charge of theCrime & Security Branch. For operations in the other five Garda regions (Eastern, Northern, Southern, South-Eastern and Western), the Divisional Officer would make the request to the appropriate Assistant Commissioner of that region. Outside of Dublin, the relevant Regional Support Unit (RSU) is usually deployed first, and may then request support from the ERU.The ERU aims to respond to any incident within the mainland of Ireland within 60 minutes of being dispatched, and within 2 hours outside of this (islands,watercraft,oil platforms, at sea, etc.), this may be achieved through the use of vehicles, watercraft oraircraft.The ERU may assume responsibility from theIrish Prison Servicein the event they are not able to bring under controlprison riotsand may also be deployed to assist with escorting dangerous prisoners.
In the year of 2012, the ERU was called out to more than 200 firearms-related incidents, and carried out over 100 successful close protection operations.
Legislation passed in Ireland in the aftermath of theNovember 2015 Paris attacksallows the Garda Emergency Response Unit to respond to a terrorism crisis in another country in the European Union, and for Gardaí to request assistance from foreign specialist forces.
Operations involving the Garda Emergency Response Unit have resulted in the deaths of ten people since 1990, including one (a Garda detective) accidentally. There have also been a number of incidents where lethal force was used but loss of life did not occur.
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