Garda rep on border region: 'We are policing with one hand tied behind our backs'

The Garda Representative Association's described the rise in violence in the border region as an attack on our democracy.

It says while extra armed support units in the area are welcome, frontline gardaí are crying out for better resources to tackle the issue.

It follows recent arson attacks on a garda station and Sinn Féin TD's car and the abduction and violent assault on Quinn Industrial Holdings chief operating officer Kevin Lunney.

GRA Representative for the Cavan-Monaghan area, James Morrisroe, says urgent action is needed.

"We have to get the local armed response unit up and running," said Mr Morrisroe.

"That takes money, that takes resources and we all hear about restrictive budgets but you can't have restrictive budgets like this where you can't foresee what is going to happen.

"So, they have to get real with it, they have to put the resources in locally and put us back out in the community and we will police it."

Mr Morrisroe said that his members are being stretched by the shortfall in resources.

"There is a lack of budget for training, there's a lack of budget for resources, there's a lack of budget for technology.

"Three years ago, we were promised that we would have mobile devices. We were promised 15,000 of these devices three years ago and we still haven't received them.

"It is an absolute farce. They are not putting the money into the technology but we are policing with one hand tied behind our backs."