Written answers
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Department of Defence
Defence Forces Operations
Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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137. To ask the Minister for Defence the number of occasions the Defence Forces were involved in aid-to-civil-power duties in 2014; and the types of activities the Defence Forces were requested to undertake. [11613/15]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An Garda Síochána has the primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so.
The number of occasions and types of operations in which the Defence Forces were deployed in an ATCP role in 2014 are set out in the table.
| Type of ATCP Operation | Number of Operations 2014 |
|---|---|
| Cash in Transit (CIT) Escorts | 1,299 |
| Euro CIT Escorts | 8 |
| Prisoner Escorts | 157 |
| Explosive Ordnance Disposal Call-outs | 141 |
| Explosive Escorts | 6 |
| Air Missions in support to Gardaí | 962 |
| Central Bank Security Guard | 365 |
| Central Bank Patrols | 972 |
| Hospital Guard | 13 |
| Explosive Production Security Guard | 365 |
| Airport Security Duties | 357 |
| Naval Service Diving Operations | 17 |
| TOTAL | 4,662 |
In addition, the Defence Forces carried out a 365 day armed guard at both Government Buildings and at Portlaoise Prison which are missions that arise from Government direction rather than an ATCP request from An Garda Síochána.
All of the figures provided above are provisional until published in the 2014 Annual Report.
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