The fact is that it is pretty complicated to set up a transport police unit and you'd probably end up with a worse service in the end as the regular guards would just wash their hands of everything to do with transport and the whole thing would descend into a mess of turf wars. If the guards don't want a transport police (and the evidence suggests they don't), then organisationally they will drag their heels on supporting it if it is rammed through. A transport police force of about 300 (based on the proportional size of the BTP relative to UK police numbers), is simply too small to cover the entire country and operate as a viable unit.
A public transport unit operated within the garda would probably end up a lot more efficient as it would need a lot less management (no need for IT, HR, training officers), etc.
It would be a lot simpler, cheaper and quicker to either give STT security the powers of an Irish Rail employee or just take the security back in-house.
I agree 100% with the last point. Irish Rail staff at Connolly do have an awful habit of looking the other way as some of the rougher elements go through the station - I guess they fancy making it home for the evening rather than ending up in the Mater. I would say that there is one particular STT employee who patrols the concourse at Connolly that seems to be pretty effective.
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