THE NUMBER OF full-time equivalent gardaí working in the Traffic Corps has fallen from 940 in 2011 to 643 last year.
The figures, which were given to Fianna Fáil transport spokesperson Robert Troy, show a steady reduction over the past six years across all counties.
There were 1,093 gardaí in the traffic corps in 2008 – that number has almost halved in the past 10 years.
Troy said that the drop in the number of gardaí assigned to roads policing duties was “disproportionate when compared to other areas of the force”.
It seems that road policing and safety isn’t really a priority for this Government.
Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said that the government “is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and to deter crime”.
To achieve this the government has put in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.
“We are making real, tangible progress on achieving this goal,” he added.
Figures for the number of Traffic Corp gardaí working in the Dublin Metropolitan Region are as follows:
Earlier this month, it was revealed that elite units of the Garda Armed Support Unit and Special Detective Unit – which were responsible for high-profile arrests in the Hutch/Kinahan feud – had their overtime cut.
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