Garda leave in Dublin canceled due to security fears for Ireland-England match at Aviva Stadium

Garda bosses have canceled the days off of thousands of officers – so they can monitor an impending Ireland-England football match in Dublin, it has emerged.

The Irish Mirror has confirmed that around 3,800 gardaí working in the Dublin area have been told their planned days off have been canceled on September 6 and 7 as part of the policing operation for the Ireland match -England at the Aviva Stadium.

The match on September 7, which is expected to have an attendance of 51,000, is part of the UEFA Nations League competition – and fears of English hooligans attending have sparked a major security concern for Gardaí.

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It will be only the second time the England national team have played in Dublin since the infamous Lansdowne Road riots in February 1995 – and Garda leaders are set to mount a massive security operation to ensure they be no repeat of the chaotic scenes of that night.

Even though the match is almost three months away, sources have told us Gardaí have begun their preparations – and that includes making sure they have as many officers as possible on duty the day before and the day of the big match.

We have confirmed that all gardaí in the Dublin metropolitan area – the policing area which covers the city and county – received an email earlier this week informing them that the rest days of September 6 and 7 have now been canceled. This means that anyone registered to be off on those days will have to report to work.

And we also learned that they were told that no leave would be allowed on those days – unless it had already been granted. Sources say Garda bosses declared the match a so-called extraordinary event – giving them the right to change officers’ days off.

“Rest days have been canceled and annual (leave) will not be approved. “It’s an extraordinary event, apparently,” one source said last night. And another added: “No one will be granted leave unless it has already been approved.”

The move will mean Garda bosses will have more staff on the streets and in the stadium to deal with any events that may arise. It is understood the Garda public order unit – or riot squad – will be on duty at the games, along with uniformed officers.

Sources also said it was likely the Garda Air Support Unit, Dog Unit and Mounted Unit would all be involved in the major police operation. Garda leaders hope the event goes off without major incident – ​​like England’s match at the Aviva in June 2015, which ended in a goalless draw on the pitch – but must prepare at worst.

Britain has a common travel zone with Ireland, meaning it will be easier for English hooligans to travel there than continental European countries where controls are tighter – and that has sparked fears they could target the Dublin game.

A Garda spokesperson declined to comment on details of the police operation when contacted by The Mirror last night. He said: “The Garda Síochána will provide details of policing, security and traffic management arrangements to the media in advance of the event.

“Planning, as with all major events, has already begun in coordination with relevant stakeholders. For operational reasons, we will not make further comments at this time. » Garda leaders will do all they can to avoid a repeat of the Lansdowne Road riots of February 1995 – one of the darkest days in Irish sporting history.

The friendly match descended into chaos when Ireland won 1–0 and the English fans began to tear up the seats and throw them at the Irish fans.

The referee then called off the match – and some of the England fans started a full-scale riot. Gardai had to use their batons against the crowd and more than 40 rioters were arrested, while 20 people were injured. An independent report later revealed that some England fans were entirely at fault and rioted without any provocation.

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