Security incident at Portlaoise Prison

[kermit]

A soldier on duty at Portlaoise Prison fired a warning shot tonight after a number of men tried to smuggle phones into the Midlands Prison.

Gardaí, the prison service and the defence forces believe that this was an attempt to smuggle phones into the Midlands prison which was foiled by a soldier on duty at Portlaoise prison next door.

At around 7pm a number of men broke through a perimetre fence and made their way towards the walls around the midlands prison.

A soldier on duty in one of the watchtowers at the adjoining Portlaoise prison saw the men and called on them to stop and identify themselves.

It appears that his verbal warnings were ignored.

The Defence Forces say the soldier fired a warning shot in response to the security incident.

The men fled the scene and in a follow up search seven phones were recovered in a package which prison sources believe were destined to be thrown into the Midlands prison.

The Gardaí, the Prison Service and the Military Police are now investigating the incident.

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Cross post from News.

No doubt RGJ will be surprised, shocked and agitated that soldiers are in a civilian prison in the first place, but I can assure him that there is a very good reason for it.

Well done No 1 Sec Coy, and that man in particular.

[B Inman]

Well done... but a review of external security may now be on the cards....

[gibedepusib0ss]

Fair play to the soldier. Good man doing a good job.

[RoyalGreenJacket]

No doubt RGJ will be surprised, shocked and agitated that soldiers are in a civilian prison in the first place, but I can assure him that there is a very good reason for it.

Well done No 1 Sec Coy, and that man in particular.

we had soldiers stagging on in prisons in NI too a few decades ago - but i can't believe you have an actual dedicated 'Security Company' there instead of rotating soldiers through such sh|t job.

where was the QRF though? and why didn't he sound the alarm instead of firing a shot. hardly a life or death situation and it would be interesting to see if warning shots are authorised in such events as we would be in a lot of trouble if we did the same.

however - i can assure you it's not the only rifle shot that was fired in Portlaoise jail in the past month or so

overall though - well done for preventing the scumbags getting phones into the jail.

[hptmurphy]

The Army know the briefs..if a round was banged off it was justified..well done that soldier..maybe they should get , maybe not a seat in the dail but a position overlooking that who should be in Port Laoise, but those the could hit who should be in Port Laoise.

Thats the one thing I loved about doing security duties as a reservist..If I banged off around all they could do was fine me the price of the round..if I knocked off a shinner .....I might even get a medal...

these days there should be ' shinner ammo that dosen't need to be accounted for!

[BANDIT]

Hey HT , No political rants , THe DF are apolitical and thats the way it should be
shinners? are u referring to the large no of TDS who were elected by the people under the constitution that u swore to uphold..
As for port laoise , Never did duty there, did a few nights in the Joy, "Marie Murray" and a few prison escorts down to Limerick and a few standing around in Green Street, many years ago but agree perimeter perhaps should be reviewed , basically need a few new high tech prisons with less staff and more use of technology .. but where to build and how do u handle the Prison Officers,

[DeV]

i can't believe you have an actual dedicated 'Security Company' there instead of rotating soldiers through such sh|t job.

Opsec RGJ but put it this way a lot of people have served in that unit.

where was the QRF though? and why didn't he sound the alarm instead of firing a shot. hardly a life or death situation and it would be interesting to see if warning shots are authorised in such events as we would be in a lot of trouble if we did the same.

Maybe he didn't have them (the firing of a round would have alerted the rest of the guard though! Remember they were trying to get into the prison next door (Midlands) not into the one the DF was guarding (Portlaoise).

[paul g]

Given that mobile phones are used to control drug empires worth millions of euros a year, paedophile networks, intimidate witnesses and carry out gang land killings, all i can say is well done that man.

[trellheim]

As Dev has mentioned there will be no discussion of security arrangements at Portlaoise, it is OPSEC. Yes I know it is news. lets keep it to that.

[hedgehog]

Given that mobile phones are used to control drug empires worth millions of euros a year, paedophile networks, intimidate witnesses and carry out gang land killings, all i can say is well done that man.

I agree with PG- bula bas to the lad on the XXXXXX-

However the bad guys were it seems going to throw mobile phones over a wall and into the prison yard at Midlands - it was after 1900hrs-

we know that the prisoners are not in the yard that late (its dark) and we know that the

when the yard is opened in the morning the first who should walk the yard is a prison

officer- who would no doubt find said phones-

Is there something we are missing?

[UniSol]

God point hedgie. Maybe the prison officers ran out of credit and needed a resupply. In all seriousness though fair play to a switched on soldier who potentially stopped a gangland killing or two by getting the phones.

[paul g]

I agree with PG- bula bas to the lad on the XXXXXX-

However the bad guys were it seems going to throw mobile phones over a wall and into the prison yard at Midlands - it was after 1900hrs-

we know that the prisoners are not in the yard that late (its dark) and we know that the

when the yard is opened in the morning the first who should walk the yard is a prison

officer- who would no doubt find said phones-

Is there something we are missing?

Correct, but officers don't get everything getting, and you forget that there are work parties every morning that pick up packets.

[hedgehog]

Correct, but officers don't get everything getting, and you forget that there are work parties every morning that pick up packets.

well surely thats why a van load of bad guys risked their freedom;

Maybe best practices should be in future that the very well paid prison

officers actually walk the yards and check to make sure nothing was thrown into it-

prior to work parties going in- and even failing that- prison officers properly search work

parties.

Prison officers are responsible for the prisoners and the prisons.

Well done to the extremely alert and responsive Defence Forces.

[paul g]

well surely thats why a van load of bad guys risked their freedom;

Maybe best practices should be in future that the very well paid prison

officers actually walk the yards and check to make sure nothing was thrown into it-

prior to work parties going in- and even failing that- prison officers properly search work

parties.

Prison officers are responsible for the prisoners and the prisons.

Well done to the extremely alert and responsive Defence Forces.

all i can say is conditioning and plugging. No matter how well you search somebody its remarkable the amount of stuff that the human anus can hold. And prison officers get conditioned by prisoners all the time.

[hedgehog]

all i can say is conditioning and plugging. No matter how well you search somebody its remarkable the amount of stuff that the human anus can hold. And prison officers get conditioned by prisoners all the time.

I agree Paul, (not on the size of the arse thing- I have no knowledge of that)