Asst. Commissioner admits number of gardaí on roads is down

The Assistant Garda Commissioner Gerard Philips admits that garda numbers are down, but says the traffic corps is still well staffed.

His comments come as an AA survey shows 72% of Irish people believe the garda presence on the roads has reduced since last year.

The study also showed 40% of people think road safety is not a priority for the force.

Philips, who is head of the National Traffic Bureau, says despite a fall in overall garda numbers, they were out in force over the weekend trying to keep speeds down across the country.

“Our numbers have come down, we can’t deny that, but the numbers in the garda traffic corp is still at 854. Over the weekend, we had a huge number out as well as the regular units, who were involved in enforcement,” he said.