Thirty-four arrests were carried out by gardaí across the country as a result of breaches of Covid-19 restrictions.
The incidents were recorded between 8 April and 18 April during which gardaí also responded to 405 Covid-19 related incidents that started as breaches of the restrictions but became other offences. Offences including public order, assault, road traffic, and drugs were detected after authorities responded to incidents such as house/street parties, gatherings beyond the family unit, and non-essential travel.
Some of the 34 people arrested under the Covid-19 emergency legislation have already appeared before the Courts. Two cases were as a result of an instruction from a relevant medical professional as per the Act, gardaí said.
Overall, gardaí said they continue to experience a high level of compliance with the public health guidelines at the many checkpoints and high visibility patrols at tourist locations, natural beauty spots, and parks and beaches.
During this time, Gardaí have interacted with hundreds of thousands of people. The vast majority were adhering to the public health guidelines.
Commissioner Drew Harris said, “An Garda Síochána’s role is to keep people safe through community engagement, particularly with the vulnerable, and our tradition of policing by consent.
“In that spirit, Gardaí are engaging with a large amount of people every day and in the vast majority of cases they are complying with the public health guidelines. It is vital this continues because it will help save lives. I want to thank the public for this and also the great support they are giving to our members every day.
“Unfortunately, there are people who did not adhere to the guidelines and Gardaí had no option but to use the regulations or other legislation. It should be stressed though that this is a tiny proportion of the people we have engaged with over this time.
“I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sympathies to those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 and to recognise the sacrifices that people adhering to the guidelines are making in playing their part in protecting others. It is for those reasons that there is a collective and individual responsibility to maintain compliance with the public health guidelines,” added Commissioner Harris.