Civilian staff to replace gardaí at immigration control

Announcing the move today, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said it is part of a plan to get members of the force out from behind desks.

As part of the measures, the Minister has also announced the expansion of the controversial

e-gates initiative, where passengers can scan their passport.

The system was heavily criticised this summer because the staff overseeing the project were only available to work between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Minister Fitzgerald said that this will be available 24/7 from next summer.

Since May 2013 four e-gates have been in place in Terminal 1 on a pilot basis.

Minister Fitzgerald revealed officials in the Department of Justice have been in talks with airport bosses over plans to expand the use of these automated entry points.

“While we must remain vigilant in preventing individuals entering our country who have no right to be here, we must also make every effort to the make the entry experience as smooth as possible for genuine travellers who constitute the vast majority of people travelling through our air and sea ports,” the Minister said.

“Border technology is one of the key ways to achieve that objective.”

Officials are also looking at expanding advance passenger information systems at Dublin Airport while maintaining the integrity of the State’s main entry point.

As part of the nationwide civilianisation of immigration and border control the 24/7 civilian operation in Terminal 1 is expected to be completed next summer with Terminal 2 completed by December 2015.

Next year will also focus on the deployment of civilian officers to other major ports.

Ms Fitzgerald said having a permanent frontline uniformed civilian border control unit is a step-change in managing Ireland’s borders.

“As part of my focus on reforming policing in Ireland, I am committed to examining and pursuing all opportunities to civilianise non-frontline Garda tasks, to get gardai out from behind desks and provide a visible policing service on the ground,” she said.

“This initiative makes sense both from an efficiency and economic perspective.”

The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (Inis) are preparing a comprehensive business case for the expansion of the e-Gates initiative at Dublin Airport.

The Minister added: “Extending the use of modern technology in all areas of policing and security must be seen as another critical element of Garda reform and is one which I will champion as minister.”

Civilians operating passport control at booths in airports and ports will be officers of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service in the Department of Justice.

Duties will include passport inspection and permitting people to enter Ireland while gardaí will be authority in the immigration area for traditional policing functions such as investigations, arrest and detention.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, said: "I very much welcome this civilianisation initiative which is key to addressing the delays being experienced by passengers at Dublin Airport for some time.

"As well as ensuring best use of Garda resources, it will also ensure that the passport control operations are resourced sufficiently to deal with the growing requirements of passengers at the Airport.

"One of the actions outlined in my Department’s draft Aviation Policy document is supporting the development of Dublin Airport as a secondary hub airport, as a means of maximising air access for the Irish economy.

"This initiative will allow Dublin Airport to compete effectively with the UK and other airports for traffic flows between Europe and the US, which should have a positive effect not only on Dublin Airport but also on the wider economy."