EOD dealt with three suspect device incidents in Mayo in 2016

THE Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit dealt with three suspect device incidents in Mayo last year, it has been revealed.

In response to a parliamentary question by Mayo Deputy Lisa Chambers, the Department of Justice confirmed the EOD teams responded to three cases in the county during 2016.

They did so when a request for assistance was made by An Garda Síochána in dealing with a suspect device.

EOD is called out to deal with a number of different emergencies, including viable devices, hoaxes, false alarms, post-blast analysis and the removal of unstable chemicals in laboratories. There were a total of 92 nationally.

When contacted, Deputy Chambers said her concerns related to the decline in skilled personnel to deal with such matters in counties like Mayo.

“The reality is that Army numbers are being depleted and my understanding is that it takes four years to train a person to become proficient in dealing with suspect devices.

“It is not my intention to be alarmist about this issue, but it's important the members of the public know the facts,” she added.