30% fewer armed garda patrols as overtime cuts bite

High-visibility armed patrols in Dublin have been reduced by up to 30% because of overtime cuts, separate garda sources have said.

Several sources said the number of Armed Support Unit (ASU) patrols operating per shift at any one time dropped from seven to four, following a direction last Friday, before rising to five yesterday.

In addition, covert backup provided by the Special Detective Unit (SDU) has also been cut, from three patrols per shift to two or as low as one.