DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said Garda plans to deploy armed support units around the clock along the border to deal with the fallout from Brexit are not necessary.

Sir Jeffrey was speaking after it emerged that training has almost been completed for additional Irish officers to expand two existing units to allow them to provide a 24-hour armed service.

Read More

Senior officers along the border are concerned that there will not be enough experienced personnel to cope with the additional workload that will arise after Brexit.

Gardai are facing the threat of renewed violence from dissidents and the ongoing activities of criminal gangs determined to exploit any fresh opportunities that could emerge.

The Irish government has been eager to avoid panic when it comes to the matter of policing the border after Brexit. The stance in political circles is to play the long game in terms of security reaction rather than opt for a strong numerical response in policing.

Among the major developments are plans being finalised by Garda chiefs to deploy armed support units on a round-the-clock basis.

Existing units are based in Dundalk and Donegal, and it is expected that a third, to be located in Cavan, will be in place later in the year to provide further cover. Garda authorities had decided last year that a third unit was necessary but planning was fast-tracked because of fears of a hard Brexit.

Additional Garda Special Branch patrols are already operating in the region to monitor the movements of suspected republican dissidents.

An estimated 70 probationers out of around 200 due to graduate from the Garda College this Friday will be allocated to the four divisions in the border region - Donegal, Sligo-Leitrim, Cavan-Monaghan and Louth.

Dublin has taken the view that the current recruitment campaign, which should produce an extra 600 gardai from the college this year, will be sufficient to allow the Irish authorities to carry out any redeployments of personnel believed necessary.

But speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, Sir Jeffrey says he is "not convinced" that the move is necessary.

"We would have welcomed that level of security in the past, but whether it's going to be necessary, I am not convinced," he said.

"For all of this talk of a hard border, no-one either side of the border wants that to be the outcome. I really don't think it will be necessary to deploy these personnel in increased numbers, but at the end of the day it's a matter for the Irish government.

"They have got to do their planning but we remain hopeful that a sensible Withdrawal Agreement can be achieved. I think that perhaps they (the Garda) are being overly cautious but they have to take the decisions that they feel are necessary even if, in the end, they aren't."

Ulster Unionist Brexit spokesperson Steve Aiken said he was not surprised by the plans.

He said: "I think the Garda are looking at all the likely issues that are coming up and making sensible precautions in view of potential dissident republican threats and ongoing operational issues."

By contrast, PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton is recruiting an extra 308 officers and staff to deal with Brexit.

The PSNI has been handed an additional £16.5m to fund the recruitment of the extra officers, along with improvements to IT and infrastructure.

However, senior officers in the region, and their representative associations, are worried that existing resources could become overstretched.

They are warning that there is no surplus elsewhere that could facilitate a beefing up of numbers along the border from the current strength.

A car bomb explosion outside a courthouse in Londonderry in January underlined the threat posed by the New IRA, which is regarded by police - on both sides of the border - as the most lethal republican terror faction to emerge since the Provisional IRA declared a ceasefire over two decades ago.

Belfast Telegraph