Irish Examiner view: Reinforcements needed to turn tide

Amid worrying increases in public disorder and attacks on his officers, Commissioner Drew Harris also identified huge backlogs in investigating child sexual abuse, caused by exponential demand for such imagery and the proliferation of the number of platforms capable of processing and storing it. Picture: Domnick Walsh

There is a metaphor in the Old Testament (Psalm 139: 17-18), concerning the futility of counting the number of grains of sand on the beach, which is called to mind by one of the latest statements from Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

Amid worrying increases in public disorder and attacks on his officers, Mr Harris also identified huge backlogs in investigating child sexual abuse, caused by exponential demand for such imagery and the proliferation of the number of platforms capable of processing and storing it.