Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order rests with An Garda Síochána. The Defence Forces, pursuant to the role of rendering aid to the civil power, assist An Garda Síochána when requested. The explosive ordnance disposal, EOD, teams respond when a request is made by An Garda Síochána for assistance in dealing with a suspect device or for the removal of old ordnance. The number of times that the EOD teams have been deployed in the years 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013 is as follows. In 2011, there were 237 call-outs, with the number of viable improvised explosive devices, IEDs, dealt with at 70; in 2011 there were 209 call-outs, with the number of viable improvised explosive devices dealt with at 96; and in 2013 to date, there were 119 call-outs, with the number of viable improvised explosive devices dealt with at 46.

Apart from IEDs, other types of call-outs would include hoaxes, false alarms, post-blast analysis, dealing with unstable chemicals and conventional munitions destruction of old historical artillery shells. Incidents in 2013 to date have been in the main IEDs and dealing with finds of old munitions, as well as unstable chemicals in laboratories. All EOD call-outs are treated as viable devices until post-operation analysis.

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