The Garda Podcast

Recently, our Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and other national units took part in Europol's 'Allies 2026', a training exercise designed to enhance cross-border cooperation and interoperability among European law enforcement authorities. The exercise simulated scenarios unfolding across 12 European countries in parallel, testing participants’ ability to effectively fight drug trafficking and hybrid threats. We played a major role in the ‘Operation Shamrock’ scenario, which involved working with European partners to track and monitor and apprehend the movements of individuals acting as International drugs smugglers.

Superintendent Michael Corbett has been appointed as An Garda Síochána's Rural Crime Lead. In this podcast, Superintendent Corbett offers crime prevention advice to those living in rural Ireland and also talks in detail about topics such as: trespassing, illegal hunting and more.

Community Policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. All around the country, community policing units work in partnership with local residents, business owners and agencies, to prevent crime and enhance public safety. Community policing units are embedded in local communities. They are often the face of An Garda Síochána and are known on a first name basis in the localities that they work. They support local initiatives and attend local meetings, all while continuing regular Garda duties to keep people safe. The Garda Podcast spent the day with two community policing Gardaí based in the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork City.

Come with us on patrol with Cavan Roads Policing for this episode of the Garda Podcast. Sergeant James Gallagher and Garda Amanda Gilmartin take us on a ride along as they help to keep our roads safe.

The SDU (Special Detective Unit) is our Counter Terrorism Unit with responsibility for State security. This highly trained unit mitigate and investigate any threats to the State. The SDU also has responsibility for the protection of diplomatic missions to Ireland. In this episode of the Garda Podcast, Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Woods gives a behind the scenes insight in to this fascinating unit. Detective Chief Superintendent Woods started his career with An Garda Síochána in Ballyfermot, Dublin where he rose to the rank of Detective and worked on the Veronica Guerin case. He then spent time with the United Nations in Cyprus, the Garda Economic Crime Bureau, the Criminal Assets Bureau, Security Intelligence, projects around proactive policing, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and now SDU.

Topics discussed: History of the SDU, radicalisation, Hostile State Actors, State Security, Counter Terrorism and more.