Garda Mounted Unit ready for public order situations

This is the Garda Mounted Unit with protective gear ready to be deployed in public order situations. An Garda Siochana completed a Public Order training exercise last week at Gormanston Army Camp in Co Meath with officers attached to the Dublin Region. Garda members are trained and tested in their competence in Public Order policing skills.   The exercise involves resistance to Garda Units from passive peaceful resistance up to ‘controlled violent’ resistance which includes missiles and incendiary devices.   The garda public order unit is a voluntary group made up of standard uniformed members assigned to normal policing duties with specialist Public Order training. The unit is trained to use riot control tactics to control, disperse, and arrest civilians that are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. They are called into action when a situation is deemed to be beyond the capabilities of community based gardai. They are able of dealing with missiles, petrol bombs and "edged weapons" i.e. knives, axes etc.