IRELAND LACKS CYBER-ATTACK AWARENESS AND RESILIENCE 
The government has been called upon to revaluate its National Cyber Security Strategy, in light of Irelandâs âdisjointedâ intelligence system, with cyber security experts claiming the business sector needs to share information on cyber attacks to help bolster Irelandâs cyber resilience. STALKING NOW STANDALONE OFFENCE UNDER NEW LEGISLATION
Gender-based violence and harassment of women has come to the fore more than ever this year, and now for the first time in Ireland, legislation will be put in place towards the end of the year to protect against gender-based crimes and to categorise stalking as a standalone criminal offence. IRELANDâS NEW INSPECTOR OF PRISONS SET TO MAKE HIS MARK
International human rights lawyer Mark Kelly has become the new Inspector of Prisons and is due to take up his position on 15 August. His appointment comes at a time with plans in the pipeline to expand the role of the office to include independent monitoring of detention across the criminal justice sector in Ireland. FINAL ‘R116 REPORT’ MAPS OUT RAFT OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The final report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) into the Irish Coast Guardâs 'R116' accident is one of the most thorough of its kind and the speedy implementation of the report's 42 recommendations should be welcomed by the whole aviation community, according to Airport Safety & Security Auditor Kevin Byrne. RESPONSE FROM STATUTORY AGENCIES TO ‘R116’ REPORT
Following the publication of the final R116 Report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) into the fatal Coast Guard accident at Black Rock, Co. Mayo, 'Emergency Services Ireland' requested the statutory agencies to outline the main lessons learned and the future plan of action in light of the report's 71 findings and 42 recommendations. âMEET THE FLEETâ CELEBRATES 75TH NAVAL SERVICE ANNIVERSARY
The Irish Naval Service - the State's principal seagoing agency with a general responsibility to meet contingent and maritime defence requirements - marked its milestone 75th anniversary in 2021 by showcasing its fleet of vessels to the public during its unique âMeet the Fleetâ experience in Dublin in Cork last September. COVID IMPACT SURVEY FOR COMMUNITY FIRST RESPONDERS
Over 340 community first responders around the country have responded to the Covid impact survey by NUI Galway, according to research team leaders Dr Eithne Heffernan and Dr Siobhån Masterson. They said that the many positive comments received have served to underscore the importance and value of Community First Response schemes, as well as insights on supports required by CFR schemes following the pandemic. REYNOLDS RECAPS ON EUCAP MISSION MANDATE IN SOMALIA
Chris Reynolds, former Director of the Coast Guard, became the first Irish head of an EU Mission in 2019 when he was appointed to lead EUCAP (EUâs Capacity Building mission) in Somalia. He talks to 'Emergency Services Ireland' about the missionâs mandate to support the build-up of Somali security forces and institutions, in view of the gradual take-over of security responsibilities from the African Union Mission. MOTORISED HI-TECH LIFEBUOYS TO THE RESCUE IN ATHLONE
Irelandâs first ever âriver rescue robotsâ were launched on the River Shannon in late 2021 by the Athlone River Safety Awareness Group. Now these two large, motorised lifebuoys can be remote-controlled from the shore to support individuals in difficulty until the lifeboat arrives, thereby giving them a much better chance of survival. IRISH FIRE CHIEFS TO HOST INTERNATIONAL SAFETY EDUCATION SEMINAR
The 6th International Safety Education Seminar will take place on 24 and 25 March at Dublin's Croke Park Conference Centre. Irelandâs Chief Fire Officers' Association decided to defer the two-day event last December due to the ongoing pandemic. DEFENCE FORCES â RESOURCING THE STATEâS INSURANCE POLICY
Global pandemics and cyber-attacks were, until recently, high-level threats that we have
acknowledged, but for which we failed to adequately prepare. As we are all too aware,
both have come to pass, and the State has scrambled to mitigate the threat, according to
Commandant Conor King, RACO General Secretary. FORENSICS AT THE FRONTLINE OF MALTAâS HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION
The European Forensic Institute â located at Maltaâs Life Sciences Park â offers undergraduate programmes and professional training in forensic science, criminology, digital forensics, investigative and intelligence sciences. FOCUS ON IMPACT OF PANDEMIC ON AIRPORT FIRE & RESCUE SERVICES
The management of airport rescue and firefighting services through the pandemic was outlined during a webinar, organised by the Airport Fire Officersâ Association to highlight the importance of strong collaboration with staff, training exercise in adapting to the current challenges and to inform future resilience planning. NAVAL SERVICE TAKES NEW UNIFORMED APPROACH ON BOARD!
As Irelandâs Naval Service
gets ready to celebrate
its 75th anniversary in
September, it recently
transitioned to a new
single operational
uniform that will now
visually reinforce its
identity as a co-equal
service within a joint
Defence Forces. âBFIRESAFE@SCHOOLâ LESSONS TO BE LEARNED ACROSS EUROPE
The BFireSafe@School project, first launched as a pilot in Ireland in August 2019, is now delivering a new teacher-led fire safety education resource for post-primary students across Europe. Report by Finian Joyce, Chief Fire Officer, Leitrim Fire Service; Shreya Ravichandran and Derek Ross, Trinity College Dublin. MEATH ROLLS OUT PROMOTIONAL VIDEO ON FOREST FIRE PREVENTION
Meath County Council, in collaboration with Coillte, has produced a new promotional video to highlight the need for land-based wildfire prevention measures and to create a greater awareness of litter pollution in the county. IRISH COAST GUARD ON RAPID RESPONSE WHEN âRED PHONEâ RINGS
The Irish Coast Guardâs fleet of Sikorsky S-92 helicopters covers the countryâs coastline, and here Lukasz Gancarz provides a snapshot of search and rescue call-outs, and the prompt response by the pilots and winch crews when the âred phoneâ rings, where every second can change the outcome of each mission. RESEARCH REVEALS HEART PATIENT REHAB IN âABSOLUTE CRISISâ
Lifesaving rehabilitation for heart patients is in "absolute crisis" and no hospital in
Ireland has a full team in place to help them recover, the Irish Heart Foundation
has warned. It claims the vital service is now treated as an âoptional add-onâ in hospitals. FAST-TRACK EXPANSION OF COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH STAFFING – FĂRSA
FĂłrsa trade union has called on the Health Service Executive to
fast-track plans to recruit 7,000 community-based health staff over
the next three years, as part of the commitment, set out in the
Governmentâs SlĂĄintecare Strategic Action Plan 2021-23. COMMUNITY AIR AMBULANCE CALLS FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT
The Irish Community Air Ambulance was tasked to 127 incidents across nine counties during the first three months of 2021, and the charityâs Chief Executive MichĂ©al Sheridan says the service needs community fundraising and corporate support to continue. GLOBAL SURGE IN RANSOMWARE ATTACKS AND ORGANISED CRIME
Senior police officials have endorsed measures to boost the role of the National Central Bureaus as part of a co-ordinated response between INTERPOL and frontline police to deal with the evolving level of critical ransomware threats during the pandemic.
NAVAL SERVICE TO CELEBRATE 75 YEARS IN OPERATION
Irelandâs Naval Service will mark its 75th anniversary in September with a series of celebrations during the month to mark the significant historical milestone since
the maritime, defence and security service was founded in 1946. INCREASED DEPLOYMENT OF INNOVATIVE DIGITAL STRATEGIES IN POLICING
Digital evidence is rapidly becoming an invaluable tool for todayâs law enforcement agencies across all crime investigations and forensic processes as they increasingly face a variety of complex issues in dealing with the sheer growth in the volume of digital content, writes Ove Evensen, Key Account Manager of the Police and Defence Division at FotoWare. COMMISSION TARGETS MAJOR ONGOING ISSUES FOR DEFENCE FORCES
Tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of the Irish Defence Forces before the end of the year, over the coming months the independent Commission will aim to fully address and help to remedy issues of army structures, falling personnel numbers, the need to reequip and the long-awaited improvement on pay and conditions. CORK AIRPORT TAKES PANDEMIC PRIORITIES ON BOARD
Following the outbreak of Covid-19 last year, Cork Airport reviewed its emergency plans to consider the emerging threat of the virus, and moved rapidly to work with the public health authorities, according to Ken Roberts, Chief Fire Officer. Here he outlines the protocols they put in place to deal with this pandemic. FOCUS ON FORENSIC SCIENCE IN SUPPORT OF JUSTICE SYSTEM
The next three years will be a time of significant change for Forensic Science Ireland (FSI), and Chris Enright, Director General, says that the FSI is firmly focused on providing the Irish justice system with a high quality integrated forensic service through independent, expert scientific analysis and advice to best international standards. IRISH EMERGENCY MEDICS FLYING HIGH IN ENGLAND
The opportunity to gain experience in pre-hospital emergency medicine as flight doctors with charity air ambulances in England, was the main reason for two Irish medics to move across the water. Dr Eimhear Quinn and Dr Lisa Guthrie tell us about their journey to date, and claims there's a need for similar HEMS opportunities to be available in this country. âSHADOW WARRIORSâ LIFTS THE LID ON IRELANDâS SPECIAL FORCES
A new book âShadow Warriors: The Irish Army Ranger Wingâ is the first and only authoritative account of this special forces unit that looks at their inception, advanced training and operations at home and overseas, without breaching operational procedures or tactics, writes co-author Sgt Wayne Fitzgerald.