Gardaí faced 1,438 assaults and obstructions in 5 years

There have been almost 1,500 incidents of assaulting or obstructing gardaí in the last five years.

The figures have led to renewed calls from Garda associations for greater legal and physical protection.

Figures provided to the Fine Gael Kildare North TD Bernard Durkan, show 1,438 incidents of assault, obstruction, and resisting arrest have been recorded between 2010 and 2014.