A NUMBER of people staged a demonstration at a garda checkpoint in Galway last night in a protest over garda policing of the current Covid-19 regulations. 

It has prompted criticism among locals with fears that frontline staff and other medical personnel were held up as a result of the incident. 

A garda spokesperson confirmed: “A brief demonstration was staged on the N84 at Carrowbrowne by local residents against Covid-19 checkpoints. Gardai attended the scene and brought the matter to a peaceful conclusion.

“An Garda Síochána in Galway has been working closely with Health Service Executive and Local Authority Officials to ensure public safety during this pandemic.”

Independent Cllr James Charity condemned the protest and said “these actions were ill-thought, ill-advised and, put plainly, reckless and dangerous.”

He added: “Blocking a main artery in this fashion has the potential to put peoples lives in serious jeopardy, as was demonstrated by the fact that an ambulance was unable to get through the blockade until such time as Gardaí got the situation under control.

“The same is true of the health care workers delayed in accessing their workplaces as a result of the blockade. Our health care workers have been at the front of this crisis since its inception and deserve much better than conduct like this.”

Earlier today, latest figures from gardaí showed emergency powers handed to them as a result of the current pandemic have been invoked 192 times between 8 April, when the measures were signed into law, and 9 May.

These include both arrests and incidents without arrest where the name and address of individuals were taken for consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions on a decision to issue charges. 

The emergency legislation gives gardaí the power to arrest and detain – under the guidance of certain health professionals – those who are suspected as being sources of infection in the event that a person does not comply with the public health guidelines. 

In addition, pre-existing enforcement powers were used in 1,432 incidents where other offences were disclosed while gardaí were enforcing public health measures. 

With reporting from Orla Dwyer