20 February 2005. A. writes:

Republicans would not view the PSNI as a new police force because it changed its name only so therefore we still refer to them as the RUC. The article is credible.

18 February 2005. M. writes:

This article's credibility is undermined by reference to the RUC's E4A department. While I cannot be certain as to whether E4A exists as such, I can tell you that the RUC (the Royal Ulster Constabulary) has not existed since November 4 2001- a triumph for criminals and terrorists, I might add. The disheartened and outgunned police in the Province is now known as the Police Service of Northern Ireland - a fact which, if your writer was credible, would have known and thus cited.

17 February 2005. Thanks to A.

Both the UK and Free State Security Services employ specialist surveillance teams against Republicans. In Northern Ireland the Brits employ a secretive unit called 14 Company. They also employ an RUC team which is attached to E4A. In the south the teams employed belong to the NSU (National Surveillance Unit).

The southern teams have received training and instruction from their British counterparts and are extremely competent, however, all surveillance teams no matter how well they are trained can be spotted, if you know their methods and procedures.

All surveillance operaters will try to blend in to their enviroment, they will wear clothes and use cars that are not out of place in the area of operations. The clothes they wear will be bland colours, greys, charcoals, navy blue, black, greens, dark browns etc. The colour and type of clothing are important as reds and other jarring colours catch the eye. Most surveillance operatives employed by the NSU are men and women aged between 25 and 40. They will dress and wear their hair to blend in to a target area.

Likewise cars that are used will again be vehicles that blend in, some cars that have been observed being used by the NSU are as follows, a green Renault Megane Hatchback 04 reg, a black Rover 45 00 reg, a silver Toyota Yaris 00 reg, a silver Nissan Primera new type unsure of reg, navy blue Toyota Corolla hatchback 03 reg, a black Ford Focus Saloon 03 reg, a green Citreon Xsara unsure of reg, a red Citreon C5 04 reg, the fella that drives this is [deleted] useless, a navy VW Polo saloon unsure of reg, a green VW polo hatchback unsure of reg, a charcoal Seat Toledo possibly 03 reg, a wine Nissan Micra 99 reg.

The aforementioned list is from memory, so it is far from full. You will notice that all of these cars are so-called invisible cars, in makes and colours that blend in to the surrounding traffic. None of these vehicles have extra aerials, and it appears that the NSU either use small tactical radios or mobile phones. Members of the NSU have a choice of a large fleet of non-descript vehicles and have been known to borrow vehicles which belong to their wives, mothers and auntie jemima if possible. All of the vehicles not only carry insurance discs but also tax discs prominently, so the trick of just spotting the one disc is more or less defunct.

In order to undertake surveillance on a subject, the subject must be identified and located. Once done, surveillance teams tend to start work at around 06:00. They will undertake a drive-by or walk-by of the target home to check for vehicles and disposition of lights curtains etc. The team which nearly always consists of two operatives and two vehicles, will then take up positions to either watch the target home address or the roads leading from the target address. The second option is always undertaken if the home address is on a cul de sac.

If it is imperative that a target home is under eye at all times the unit will employ a static surveillance platform, really fancy term for a [deleted] van, this does not have to be manned. The Brits use wireless cameras built into a van and pick up the signal on a receiver a couple of hundred yards away. In fact the Brits have been known to plant wireless cameras in coke tins stuck in hedges, in specially-made rocks at the side of the raod and disguised on telephone poles as brackets. However, we are unsure wether the NSU has available to it this technology, but it being a nation state agency you would have to believe it does.

If the target address does not need a constant eye and they are expecting a vehicle follow they will position themselves to watch the exit routes from the road containing the target home address. They will try to position themselves with suitable cover such as a parked car or tucked down an adjoining road. This is to ensure that the target does not see the follow vehicles at an early stage of the follow and later associate the vehicle with the home address.

During the follow the surveillance units will try to ensure that there are cover vehicles in between themselves and your vehicle at all times. During rush hour traffic in Dublin or other major cities this is nigh on impossible as to do so almost ensures that they will lose you. During this time they will try to stay as close as possible to the target vehicle. In order to do so they will rotate positions regularly in order to avoid having the one vehicle behind you for too long.

However out in the country or on motorways or dual carriageways they will give you as much space as possible, up to a half mile once you are still visible. These are the procedures used for eye-ball follows, however if the target vehicle has a tracker on it, the follow vehicles can be a half mile to a mile behind at all times. They could be further back, however they like to be close in case you stop and debus ( get out of your car ). If a tracker is suspected on a vehicle, the best defence is not to use it. In order to find out if a tracker is placed on a vehicle the best thing to do is to drive following a circuitous route, ensuring you do not have a tail and park in a cul de sac facing out. Turn off your vehicle and wait fifteen to twenty minutes, the follow team will enter the cul de sac either in their vehicle or on foot to ascertain what you are up to. You just have to spot them. They will enter the cul de sac if they are there as they need to know what you are doing.

As I have said earlier, the surveillance team will need to set up in such a position that affords them the opportunity to make a contact. If possible they will try to undertake observations on the home address. If this is not possible they will try to take up a position that affords them a good view of the exit routes from the road containing the target address. The ideal positions are the ones that you will probably not pass, nor look at for any great length of time, such as on an adjoining cul-de-sac on your exit route or in a position that would be out of your normal eye sweep as you turn a corner.

Once contact is made the tail cars will follow at as leisurely pace as possible to ensure that you do not discover them. There are several ways to combat this and actions to undertake to ascertain if in fact you have a tail. The most important is alertness, notice vehicles and regs, practice remembering registration numbers or even partial registration numbers. In order to combat surveillance teams you have to think like them. Think in terms of contact points around your area or any area you are visiting. Where would be the best place to pick up your vehicle during your entrance or exit with the low possibility of you observing them? If you can identify all these points you should pay a lot of attention to them while driving away from your address. If you identify a vehicle take a good look at it and remember it. If you see the vehicle again later in the journey you have probably spotted a tail.

Driving style while on a journey is also important, speeding up and slowing down, sudden pull ins, un-signalled turns, late amber lights followed by sudden turns onto alternative roads are all good tools for identifying a tail and losing it. As is the twice around the roundabout and taking a reciprocal route or indeed the opposite exit that you have indicated. However, all of these manoeuvres are useless dressing unless you are watching your mirrors and identifying following vehicles to monitor their behaviour and disappearance and reappearance.

In every important journey, you must plan a route that will afford you the maximum opportunities to spot a tail and the maximum opportunities to lose one. On foot, it is a different matter, if a team of two are following, one will follow on foot while the other follows discreetly in a vehicle. This is to ensure that if you get picked up or jump on public transport that there is always a vehicle to follow. The men on foot are trained to follow behind and on the opposite side of the road from you. The reasoning behind this position is because of human nature. If you are worried about being followed you look behind over your left shoulder, this ensures that they are in your blind spot, over your right shoulder approximately 45 degrees. If there are two or more operatives on a foot follow, the man on the opposite side of the road will be the eye or the control and the rest will trail fifty, sixty feet back behind you depending on pedestrian volume.

If you take a left turn the control will walk across his side of the junction holding the eye, while one of the trails comes up to the junction. The trail will then cross to the opposite side of the road that you are travelling on and become the eye, while the other man then becomes the trail. In this way two or more men can keep control of a target for long periods of time without being spotted. If you know their procedures they are easier to spot, when you do take that left or right turn stop suddenly and look back for the eye on the opposite side of the junction. Try to spot a likely without spooking them and then you can try at the next corner to spot the new eye. In this way you can possibly identify two likelys, if you see them again after a distance you know they are follows.

Use shop windows for reflections, remember to look across the road, not just behind you. Enter shops, stand inside and try and spot the eye or indeed a trail man as he makes up the distance to see what you are at. The best way to lose a tail once identified on a foot follow is to take a corner and disappear into a shop or door way. If you hide well enough they will move on, trying to re-establish contact with you. Once they have done so walk back the way you have come. But do not forget to give enough time for the trail man to pass also.