Assaults rose as gardaí ‘off streets’ in station revamp

Refurbishing cells in a Garda station in Cork City resulted in an increase in assaults because gardaí were tied up taking prisoners to outlying stations.

Senior gardaí said that assaults in the city increased by 62% from November 14 to January 15, compared to the corresponding period 12 months earlier.

The total number of minor assaults perpetrated rose to 242 from 149.