An NISGS civilian security officer is attested by a magistrate as a special constable whilst on duty within Ministry of Defence property. They hold similar powers to that of a police constable based on the Emergency Laws Act 1947. A CSO has the powers of arrest under the Police and Criminal Evidence Order 1989.
In 2009 CSOs at Massereene Barracks were criticised for not opening fire during an incident in which two British soldiers were killed when the barracks was attacked by members of the Irish republicanparamilitary group, the Real IRA who were armed with AKM automatic rifles. However the actions of the CSOs were praised by Brigadier George Norton, the Army's most senior soldier in Northern Ireland at the time. This was the first time that a barracks guarded by the NISGS had come under a direct attack. Following the incident at Masseerene Barracks in 2009 plans were made to retrain and rearm CSOs belonging to NISGS.
Uniform and equipment
NISGS Civilian Security Officers wear a dark navy coloured combat uniform and navy beret as well as black combat boots. The uniform looks very similar to that of army EOD personnel but with the notable differences being the NISGS capbadge and rankslides. The principal reason for NISGS' creation after the Good Friday Agreement was to place the guarding of MOD premises in the Province on a primarily civilian footing with military backup, as in mainland UK. It was felt that establishing the Military Provost Guard Service in the Province would still be seen as an overtly "military" force. Because the Crown is exempt from the provisions of the Firearms Acts, Crown Servants may carry firearms in the course of their duties if duly authorised to do so. Conversely, the MOD Guard Service are not authorised to carry firearms in Northern Ireland, as well as in Great Britain where the Military Provost Guard Service provides armed guarding. In addition to the Crown firearms exemption, attesting NISGS CSOs as Special Constables allows them to be armed on the same basis as PSNI Police Officers Part Time, the equivalent of mainland Special Constables.
Firearms
Prior to the Masseerene Barracks incident NISGS CSOs were armed with the venerable L9A1 9mm Browning Hi-Power single-action automatic pistol, primarily and deliberately for self-defence. Following that incident and the recognition that the very short accurate range generally achievable with any pistol even under ideal conditions was a factor in not returning fire in that incident, NISGS CSOs were quickly re-armed with the L85A2 Individual Weapon. This is a 5.56 mm calibre selective fireassault rifle, generally referred to as the 'SA80', and was the current standard UK military issue personal weapon at the time. These were readily available from MOD stocks as an interim solution but were accepted to be overly powerful for the NISGS armed guarding role because of the long lethal range and short-range over-penetration of the ammunition, and the availability of fully automatic fire. In early 2012 an agreement was reached between MOD and PSNI to acquire surplus Heckler & Koch MP5 9mm submachine guns from PSNI to re-arm NISGS CSOs. These weapons with their less powerful and shorter-lethal-range 9mm Parabellum pistol ammunition, provides NISGS with a more appropriate firearm for their role.
