Internal Garda review to prepare force for expected Patrick's Day protest

Gardaí do believe there were people at last Saturday’s protest on Dublin’s Grafton St that “orchestrated the violence”. Picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

The report of a high-level internal Garda review into last Saturday’s violent protest in Dublin is being prepared for the Commissioner by the end of next week to ensure the force is ready for an expected anti-lockdown protest on St Patrick’s Day.

It comes as senior garda sources pledge that there “will be good public order deployment” for today’s planned protest in Cork City and promises that “any violence will be dealt with”.

Gardaí believe there were people at last Saturday’s protest on Dublin’s Grafton St that “orchestrated the violence” but either would not reveal, or were not certain, who those people were or their political affiliations.

Sources have said that, as it stood, there were “no indications there is going to be violence” at the protest in Cork City centre, but said they had learned from the experience of last weekend, when gardaí also had no intelligence of a threat of violence.

A high-level internal review into the Grafton St protest has been ordered by Deputy Commissioner Policing and Security Anne Marie McMahon.

It is understood it is being carried out by Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman, who, as a former senior PSNI officer, has experience of public order policing.

Her review team has been talking to all gardaí involved, broken down by ranks.

“There is an internal review, and they are talking to everyone — gardaí, sergeants, inspectors and the superintendent — from a ‘lessons learned’ point of view,” said one source. 

“There’s no finger-pointing, but looking at what went right and what went wrong.” 

The report is due to be sent to Commissioner Drew Harris by the end of the week, to allow for planning for protests on St Patrick's Day.

Sources said the information was that the last Saturday’s event was being used as a “dry run” for March 17 to see what resources gardaí would deploy.

Last Saturday’s rally was due to meet at St Stephen’s Green. This prompted the Garda decision to close the green and block off the top of Grafton St.

“To police Stephen’s Green you would need hundreds of gardaí, even up to 1,000, given the area and the huge number of roads and laneways leading on to it,” said a source.

There were some estimates of 400 protesters on Grafton St and another 300 on South King St, which runs along the side of Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

“Resources are an issue — and then you have the geography, the location,” said one source.

“We did not anticipate the level of violence — there was no information to that effect.” 

Because of that, there was only one public order unit deployed. They were in “soft caps” and holding the line with gardaí in hi-vis jackets.

What was not there was a second public order unit, fully kitted out in ‘riot gear’ with shields and hard helmets and full protective gear in vans nearby, that could have been deployed.

Sources suspect that one of the “lessons learned” for the planned St Patrick’s Day protest will be to have a second public order unit, or even a third, deployed on the day.

“You’ll definitely see a different approach next time,” said a source. “You have to after the result of Saturday, that has to happen.

You will still see a graduated approach — uniform and soft cap, then fully kitted out. They won’t be front and centre, but not far away.” 

Each public unit is made up of an inspector, three sergeants, and 18 gardaí.

“The issue is budgeting for them, whether you bring them in on overtime or take them from the frontline, which affects the local areas they are coming from,” said a source.

“It’s hard for the Commissioner as he has to police within budget, and we don’t see the Government offering extra resources to police these events.” 

The source said it "it would be foolish" if Cork management, given the events in Dublin last weekend, did not have two public order units on the day, with one "kitted out" in vans nearby, if needed.

A source in Garda management insisted that gardaí in Cork had been “well briefed”, and that there would be a “significant deployment” of members on the day.

“There will be good public order deployment,” the source said. 

“At the moment, there is no indication of violence, but, if there is violence, it will be dealt with.”