Two female Gardai are recovering after they were attacked while on duty in Letterkenny.
Local Garda Brendan O’Connor, recently elected the new president of the Garda Representative Association, said assaults are getting more common.
He said there seems to be a growing willingness among some members of the public to attack officers who are being put in danger due to weaknesses in the response capabilities of the force.
He said “Assaults are very common. It’s everything from minor things like a push and a shove right up to very serious assaults.
“We had two female members assaulted last weekend in Letterkenny out on patrol. The figures speaks for themselves.
“On routine patrols responding to calls like public order incidents, there seems to be a growing willingness for people to assault guards,” Garda O’Connor said.
He also referred to the situation in Glenties when hunter Stephen Dowling went on the rampage with a rifle.
“The incident in Glenties just shows you the unpredictability of what can happen,” said Garda O’Connor.
“You can no longer presume the place is quiet.
“That’s the last place you would have ever expected that to happen, but that’s indicative of the unpredictable nature of policing and what can arise at very short notice.
“It highlights weaknesses in the systems and response capability.”
