The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), is a branch of Ireland's

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 national police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 force, An Garda Síochána

Garda Síochána

, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

. It investigates serious crime throughout the country.

It consists mainly of detective

Detective

A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...

s and is headed by a Detective Chief Superintendent, who reports to the Assistant Commissioner

Assistant Commissioner

Assistant commissioner is a rank used in many police forces across the globe. It is also a rank used in revenue administrations in many countries.-Australia:...

 National Support Services.

The Bureau was formed in 1997 from other small investigative branches around the country. Since then its main roles have been the investigation of murder, car theft, organised crime, sexual assault, art theft

Art theft

Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...

 and other serious crimes. The NBCI is often called in to assist local detectives deal with serious crimes.

Unlike their uniformed counterparts, detectives of the NBCI are plainclothes officers and armed with any of the following weapons:

• Sig Sauer P226
• .38 spl Smith & Wesson
  Smith & Wesson
  Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
  
   Model 10
• Walther P99C
  P99
  P99 can refer to:* Embraer P99, a variant of the Embraer R99 aircraft* Ferguson P99, a formula one four wheel drive racing car* Walther P99, a semi automatic pistol...
  
  
• 9mm Uzi
• H&K MP7
• H&K HK 33E
• Benelli
  Benelli (firearms)
  Benelli Armi SpA is an Italian firearm manufacturer founded in 1967, located in Urbino, Italy, best known for high quality shotguns used by military, law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Particularly famous is the Benelli M3 12 gauge, used extensively by American SWAT teams...
  
   M3 Super 90
• Steyr
  Steyr Mannlicher
  Steyr Mannlicher is a firearms manufacturer based in the city of Steyr, Austria. Originally a part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufacturing conglomerate, it became independent when the conglomerate was broken in 1990.-History:...
  
   SSG 69
  Steyr SSG 69
  The SSG 69 is a bolt-action sniper rifle produced by Steyr Mannlicher and serves as the standard sniper rifle for the Austrian Army....