Chronic shortages of gardaí in Cork meant just two members of the force were patrolling the city centre one night and a special unit investigating sex crimes is unable to take on new cases because it is not adequately staffed.

An elite armed Garda unit for Dublin is being launched today without a dedicated boss at its helm because of persistent vacancies, writes Cormac O'Keeffe of the Irish Examiner.

MORE than 700 gardaí have retired from the force this year and the number could swell further before the budget next month.

MORE than eight out of 10 people are happy with the overall service from the gardaí, according to a survey.