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Explainer: How does a garda media blackout work in the age of social media?
Gardaí requested a media blackout during the Blanchardstown siege on Tuesday night but social media companies did not comply. By Niall O Connor Wednesday 26 May 2021, 9:00 PM Wed 9:00 PM 35,998 Views 21 Comments
Image: Niall Carson
Image: Niall Carson
A SIEGE IN Blanchardstown last night highlighted how media blackout requests from gardaí can be fraught with difficulties in an age of social media.
Sieges and “barricaded individual” incidents are complex of policing operations with dozens of specialist gardaí involved, as witnessed in Dublin 15 on Tuesday.
The successful resolution of that shooting and siege showed the importance of a negotiator and how they can turn a potential murderous situation into a calm surrendering to gardaí.
Specialist Garda negotiators were involved in at least 89 barricades and similar stand-offs this year with about half of those directly related to mental health issues.
The National Negotiation Unit has a panel of trained gardai across the country who try to begin a dialogue with the people involved in the stand-off and bring it to a safe conclusion.
Last year they were called 98 times and of this year’s cases, 41 were directly linked to mental health issues, often involving people threatening to take their own lives.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that many of the other 41, described as criminal , would have had an underlying mental health issue that would have acted as a contributory factor.
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About half were directly related to mental health issues.
The National Negotiation Unit has a panel of trained gardai across the country.
They try to begin a dialogue with the people involved in the stand off and bring it to a safe conclusion.
Last year they were called 98 times and, in the first 11 months of 2020, they were needed 89 times.
This year 41 were directly linked to mental health issues, often involving people threatening to take their own lives.
Another 41 are described as criminal .
However, Justice Minister Helen McEntee says many of these would have had an underlying mental health issue that would have acted as a contributory factor.