New 24/7 intel unit on airline passengers

A new round-the-clock intelligence unit to bolster Ireland’s border security will be a multi-agency body, including specialist gardaí.

The Passenger Information Unit (PIU), due to be up and running by next May, will have its own premises and staffing complement, financed by an initial €4m budget.

It is being set up to implement an EU directive to create a union-wide system for collecting, analysing and sharing airline passenger information with a view to identifying “unknown” persons who may be involved in terrorism or serious transnational crime.