The local police force is called An Garda Siochana. Or ‘The Guards’ for short. You won’t hear Irish people refer to them as the ‘police’ but they will be aware that you may call them that. They are generally friendly and efficient and recognised as one of the best police forces there is. If you don’t believe me check it out!
They are unarmed apart from batons and pepper spray, although specialist units will carry more heavy duty weapons. There are stations located on O’Connell Street and Store Street.While cutbacks have affected their visible presence on the streets in recent years (and some would say particularly late at night), they are a regular sight around the city centre. Call 999 or 911 if you need assistance. The Garda website is www.garda.ie.
If something happens and, say, you lose important documents such as passports, visas etc, then you will need to get in touch with your embassy. A simple web search will quickly get you the details you need.
Irish Tourist Assistance Service
The Irish Tourist Assistance Service, ITAS, is also available to offer immediate support and assistance, every day of the week, to visitors to the country who become may become victims of crime or experience other traumatic events. Tourists experience crime differently as they may not have English as their first language and won’t be familiar with the Irish crime system. The Service is free and confidential. This service is invaluable for people who may be in shock or are feeling very vulnerable. It is the only service in Europe offering a dedicated support to tourist victims of crime. Staff at the ITAS are able to speak in a number of different languages so do use them. They are available at itas.ie. Hopefully you will never need them and bear in mind that the crime rate in Ireland is low relative to other countries.
