Garda rollout of specialist units way off target

The Garda Inspectorate has said it expects gardaí to have sexual and domestic violence units in all 28 divisions by the end of the year — despite warnings from the Commissioner that their plan to establish just four this year, on top of the existing four, was in jeopardy.

A report from acting commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin to the Policing Authority said that a number of “high- profile initiatives”, including the rollout of the Divisional Protective Services Bureau (PSB), were threatened because they did not have the budget to implement them.

There are currently three divisions with a PSB: One division, Dublin West, has two units, in Cabra and Clondalkin; there is one in the Louth division, and the other in Cork City division. Gardaí have planned to set up a further four units in 2018.