Unclear how 999 calls will be handled if Garda stike goes ahead

There was considerable uncertainty yesterday as to how 999 calls for Garda emergencies would be handled if the policing strike goes ahead.

An Garda Síochána currently operates 22 separate divisional control rooms, which, according to the last analysis by the Garda Inspectorate, receive a total of 1,500 calls, on average, a day.

This does not include calls made directly to local stations, which, in Dublin, exceeded the number of 999 calls by 40%.