Gardaí have put a major crowd control and public order operation in place around the country for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The majority of the resources are being concentrated in Dublin, which has been the scene of drink fuelled disorder and violence in the past.
Among the resources drafted into the city centre are Garda trucks that have been fitted with holding cells.
These can hold a large number of suspects, all locked away from each other, in the event of a major public order incident in the city centre.
Garda sources said they could be used to hold suspects for a period before they were taken to Garda stations for questioning or to appear before the courts.
“If something major happened, our people on the ground could lock some suspects into the cells and then go and continue dealing with the rest of a crowd,” said one source.
Other senior sources said the major operation around the State was a precautionary one and that trouble was not anticipated.
“In the last few years off licences haven’t been allowed open until 3pm on St Patrick’s Day and that seems to have had a major impact to the good,” said one senior officer based in Dublin.
Most of the operation involves high-visibility policing from uniformed gardai on the beat in cities and towns where parades are taking place.
In Dublin, the Garda helicopter has been dispatched to aid traffic management and to monitor areas where crowds may be growing to unsafe levels or where public order may be unfolding.
Senior officers running the operation in Dublin have access to the Public Order Unit, the Garda Dog Unit and the Garda Mounted Unit on horseback in the event trouble flares.
However, senior sources said these had been put in place as a contingency operation.
“That kind of policing would be a last resort and if people are out and about they won’t even see those units,” said one officer.
“We’d be expecting the biggest challenge will be keeping traffic moving with all the road closures and making sure all goes OK when people are dispersing after the parade. But if there is any trouble, we are well prepared.”
