Major change in security at Portlaoise Prison

The historic presence of armed Irish soldiers at Portlaoise Prison is set to end after the Government gave the green light to the move.

It's emerged the Cabinet has given the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to withdraw armed military personnel from the jail on the town's Dublin Road. 

The prison has had armed personnel on the premises since 1973, however the requirement for armed military personnel was examined following the publication of the 2022 report on the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: "At the direction of the Government, the Defence Forces provided 24-7 security at Portlaoise prison. The total cost associated with Defence Forces personnel performing ATCP roles at Portlaoise prison for 2023 was approximately €1.9 million. The total cost includes the costs of escorting prisoners to medical appointments and court hearings outside the prison."

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A Government spokesperson told the Irish Mirror: "In light of the declining number of subversives who are in Portlaoise Prison and the 'evolving security and abilities of An Garda Síochána and the prison services', the last military presence in Portlaoise Prison will leave later this year. It remains open to An Garda Siochana or the government on a case-by-case basis of a particular trial or a particular transport to seek the assistance of the Defence Forces as an aid to civil power."

Gardaí will now be expected to carry out a wider security role within the Prison.

Paramilitary prisoners were normally detained in the E-wing of the jail which has a capacity for 229 prisoners. There were 242 inmates in custody on July 24 with none in the E-wing.

The news comes as work is nearing completion in the town on what was intended to be a new transit facility for Defence Force personnel. It was built as party of plans to revamp Portlaoise Garda Station. A building there is used by soldiers at present.

This decision was approved at a meeting on Wednesday, July 24 with it expected to be actioned this year.

The Irish Prison Service told the Leinster Express it does not comment on matters relating to prison security.