This is a description of law enforcement in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Before the Republic (then called the Irish Free State) left the union, one police force - the Royal Irish Constabulary - policed almost the whole island (aside from Dublin, where the Dublin Metropolitan Police were the main force). The Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Police Service of Northern Ireland are the direct descendants of that force, while a new police force - the Garda Síochána - was set up in the Irish Free State. Today, due to the sharing of a land border and legislation introduced to both countries after the Belfast Agreement of 1998, there is cooperation between the main police forces of jurisdictions.
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The Republic of Ireland has a single national civilian police force, Garda Síochána na hÉireann (Guardians of the Peace of Ireland). This force is responsible for all aspects of civil policing, both in terms of territorial policing and in the policing of infrastructure. The Garda Síochána have been the only territorial police force in the Republic since their merger with the DMP in 1925.
The Garda Síochána na hÉireann (Guardians of the Peace of Ireland)more commonly referred to as the Gardaí, is the police force of the Republic of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. They provide both local and national policing.
The Póilíní Airm is the military police corps of the Irish Army.The Póilíní Airm (English: Army Police) is the corps of the Irish Army responsible for the provision of policing service personnel and providing a military police presence to forces while on exercise and deployment. Its tasks increase during wartime to include traffic control organisation and POW and refugee control. The Póilíní Airm are distinguished from other units by their wearing of a red beret.
The Póilíní Airm enjoy a close working relationship with An Garda Síochána (the civilian police force of the Republic of Ireland) at both national and local levels, with the Gardaí providing specialist training to the Póilíní Airm in criminal investigation.
Within Dublin Airport, Cork Airport, and Shannon Airport the Airport Police (Ireland) / Póilíní Aerfoirt perform aviation policing functions. They are employed by Dublin Airport Authority and authorised by the Minister of Transport.
Within Dublin Port, the Dublin Harbour Police (operated by the Dublin Port Company) perform a similar role. The powers of both organisations are limited to the airport/port buildings and grounds.
Policing in Northern Ireland follows a similar model to that of the rest of the United Kingdom in that it is the responsibility of the local territorial police force. However, unlike the rest of the UK, which has police forces divided by local areas such as ceremonial counties or local council areas, Northern Ireland has a single territorial police force, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), formerly known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary. This force, one of the largest in the UK, is responsible for all local policing in the region.
In addition to the PSNI, there are other agencies which have responsibility for specific parts of Northern Ireland's transport infrastructure:
Officers of these forces have full constabulary powers within one mile of the specific locations they police, which come from specific pieces of legislation relating to them.
A further civilian police force with powers in Northern Ireland is the Ministry of Defence Police, which has responsibility for policing all MOD property. Additionally, the Royal Military Police has a presence in British Army barracks.
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