Gardaí staging surprise raids on the homes of gangland criminals are now regularly encountering properties with enhanced security measures, including fortified doors and bulletproof glass, greatly slowing their entry.
This has led to losing the surprise element, prolonging the forced entry or breaching operation, and also increasing the safety risk to criminals and gardaí on the scene.
“It’s like an arms race,” one member of the Dublin Armed Support Unit (ASU) told The Irish Times of the competition between Garda specialist units and gangland criminals. “They’re trying to develop to keep us out and we’re trying to upskill to make sure we get in.”
These hard-to-overcome security measures were most often found at the homes of organised crime figures during pre-planned search and arrest operations – including by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau – targeting gangland figures.
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The problems have worsened of late, as specialised home security options have advanced. Many composite doors are much stronger than ever, with reinforced frames and multi-locking systems. Some are proving impossible to break down and specialist power tools must be brought in to cut away the door and frame.
The problem is most pronounced at the homes of drug-gang leaders because they often invest significantly in turning their home into a “fortress” to protect them from gun attack by their rivals, as well as to frustrate gardaí.
However, issues have also been encountered at times during hostage situations and similar incidents where a suspect armed with a knife or gun has barricaded themselves into a property.
Though the Dublin ASU is tasked with breaching doors and providing armed backup during pre-planned Garda surprise raids on significant criminals, it has been unable to gain entry into some houses, despite having an array of breaching equipment available to it.
The ASU has had to call in the Emergency Response Unit, whose selection of breaching kit is more advanced, before some of the home security systems can be overcome, by cutting away a door or frame.
Garda Headquarters has established a working group which is now examining several options, including how to enhance the ASU’s capabilities to keep pace with the latest trends in gangland home security.
CCTV systems, or even doorbell cameras, were also “handing some advantage” to the targets of their operations as “they can see you moving into position outside”, ASU members said.
The ASU is in the process of seeking specialist kit to augment its range of “breaching” tools, with the Garda working group likely to approve the more advanced kit and training required.
