Witness Security Programme (Ireland)

The Witness Security Programme in the Republic of Ireland is administered by the Attorney General of Ireland, and is operated by the Garda Síochána, the national police force. It is known as the Witness Security Programme, and was officially established in 1997, following the assassination of journalist Veronica Guerin by a drugs gang she was reporting on. Witnesses in the programme are given a new identity, address and armed police protection either in Ireland or abroad (generally in Anglophone countries). They are usually provided with financial assistance, as witnesses regularly must leave their previous employment. Witness protection is used in cases of serious, organised crime and terrorism. The Irish government will only grant protection to those who cooperate with investigations conducted by the Garda Síochána. Court appearances by witnesses in protection are carried out under the security of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU), the premier tactical operations group in Irish law enforcement. There has never been a reported breach of security in which a protectee was harmed.