| Irish: Aonad Speisialta Bleachtaireachta | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 11 July 1921 as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Jurisdiction | Ireland |
| Headquarters | Harcourt Street, Dublin (D2) 53°20′03.5″N 6°15′50.3″W / 53.334306°N 6.263972°W |
| Employees | Undisclosed ~ 300[1] |
| Annual budget | Undisclosed (part of Garda Síochána budget, €1.34 billion in 2014) |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | Crime & Security Branch Garda Síochána |
| Website | Official website |
The Special Detective Unit (SDU) (Irish: Aonad Speisialta Bleachtaireachta) is the main domestic security agency of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland, under the aegis of the Crime & Security Branch (CSB).[2] It is the primary counter-terrorism and counter-espionage investigative unit within the state. The Special Detective Unit superseded the Special Branch (which they are still commonly referred to as), which itself replaced the older Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which was founded in 1921. They work in conjunction with the Defence Forces Directorate of Military Intelligence (J2) – Ireland's national intelligence service – on internal matters. The unit's headquarters are in Harcourt Street, Dublin City.
The Emergency Response Unit (ERU), a specialist armed tactical unit, was a division of the SDU until 2017 when the Special Tactics and Operational Command took over command of the unit.[3]
- ^ O'Keefe, Cormac (21 November 2015). "Islamic terrorists: Radicalisation and fighters returning to Ireland are our biggest threat". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ "The Crime & Security Branch / Special Detective Unit (SDU)". 1 January 2014. An Garda Síochána (Irish National Police). Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ "Revamp of top Garda units". 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.