Gardaí want ballistic vests for unarmed officers

Mid-ranking gardaí said official injury figures published in the Irish Examiner yesterday show their job is “very dangerous” and the risk of injury is increasing.

The figures, from a Garda management report, show that injury rates, including from assaults, are 10 times higher than that of the average worker.

The 611 occupational injuries in 2014 translate to a rate of 39.7 per 1,000 gardaí, compared with a national injury rate of 3.4 per 1,000 employees. The injuries includes 283 assaults, 103 road traffic collisions, 43 contacts with sharp, pointed or rough objects, 22 needle-stick injuries or stabbings and six cases of psychological trauma.