Gardaí to Increase Border County Presence as Brexit Transition Period Halts

PEOPLE LIVING IN border counties can expect to see a greater presence of the garda in the coming days, as the Brexit transition period comes to an end at 11 p.m. tomorrow night.

Officials from state agencies also warned of a possible disruption at Dublin Port as a result of new regulatory and customs controls on British goods entering the country.

The border between north and south will remain frictionless after Brexit and Gardaí fail to establish Brexit-related checkpoints at the border.

However, in the coming days, they say checkpoints and regular patrols will be increased.

The plans were outlined by Superintendent Liam Geraghty of the Garda Press Office at a press conference in Dublin Port this afternoon.

When asked what concerns Gardaí has ​​about the impact of Britain’s exit from the European Union on the region over the next few days, Superintendent Geraghty said the increased presence is primarily to reassure communities.

“I guess there are no very specific concerns that we have or specific intelligence that we have,” he said.

“But we are well aware that any change that occurs has the potential for organized crime groups to try to exploit it. Our presence is to reassure the communities along the border that we are out there, we are present ”.

Port plans

Supt Geraghty spoke alongside representatives from other state agencies, including Commissioners of Revenue and the departments of Agriculture and Transportation, who outlined their plans for the end of the Brexit transition period.

Tomorrow at 11pm, Britain will become a “third country” for the purposes of business and trade with the European Union.

It means that goods traveling from the UK to Ireland will need to be screened to make sure they meet European safety standards.

Speaking at the briefing, Revenue Commissioner Gerry Harahill said dealing with these additional customs and regulatory controls could cause disruptions.

“Customs and other regulatory checks take time, and some take longer than others,” he said.

However, he said Revenue will have staff at the port 24 hours a day.

He added: “We have facilities to deal with checks, whether documentary or physical, and we have systems and processes to administer checks in an orderly manner. So my message today is that change is happening, things cannot and will not stay the same. “

Transport Department official Eddie Burke highlighted post-Brexit traffic management plans implemented by his department and Dublin City Council, which were announced earlier this month.

It is a color-coded “traffic light” system with status warnings in green, amber, red and blue corresponding to the level of traffic congestion.

Blue, he explained, is the “worst case scenario where, indeed, the port is closed.”

Regular updates on the traffic situation in and around Dublin Port will be broadcast on Dublin City Council’s ‘Live Drive’ radio station (103.2FM).