The terror exercise in Dublin did little toreassuretherest of the country

WHILE it’s good to see the government, gardaí and security forces taking the threat of Islamic terrorism seriously, last week’s simulated terrorist attack in Dublin felt far more like an exercise in public relations than an exercise in security. For those unfamiliar with what unfolded in Dublin here is how the simulated training exercise unfolded.

At about 11am on Friday morning two actors portraying terrorists ran down a pedestrian on Sheriff Street Bridge before jumping from their van and stabbing two women.

The ‘ terrorists’ then ran into the Docklands Train Station where they attacked more members of the public with a knife and gun before taking several hostages on a train.

Gardaí and members of the force’s specialist armed Emergency Response Unit were on the scene in about four minutes and the attackers were ‘neutralized’.

In terms of the result, the exercise had a relatively positive outcome for the security forces, though video of the simulation provided to the media suggested that at least four people ‘died’ during the attack.

The exercise provided some much needed positive PR for the gardaí and Government – who have long been accused of underestimating the threat of a terror attack here – but serious flaws with the simulation seem obvious based on the media coverage.

First, the simulation took place in a station that was largely deserted. Second, the simulation occurred in the capital less than a kilometre from one of Dublin’s main garda stations.

Finally, the simulation saw the terrorists take a number of hostages, something – as evidenced by the vast majority of ISIS inspired attacks – that Islamic terrorists rarely ever do.

Though the garda response time was encouraging, one gets the distinct impression that were there more people in the station – as would appear likely on a normal day – and were the people on the train not taken ‘ hostage’, then the number of ‘casualties’ would have been considerably higher.

The savages of ISIS are pitiless but they are also extremely adept at what they do. Is it really likely that they, or one of their insane followers, would not pick a weaker and more isolated target?

We don’t, and likely won’t, know what the official garda findings from the exercise will be. However, based on the media coverage, the design of the simulation seems to have made the ‘ best case scenario’ the only possible outcome.

Friday’s headline generating exercise may have given some solace to those living in the capital but it will do little to reassure people in the rest of the country.

Highly trained armed gardaí may be able to respond to an attack in Dublin within four minutes but what of places like Kerry or Mayo which were both identified in a Dáil debate on the risks posed by Islamic terrorism just last week.

The ERU say they can be on the scene of an attack anywhere in country in one hour. Given the carnage three ISIS savages wrought in just eight minutes near London Bridge last month, that one hour response time isn’t particularly reassuring.