87 NEW ROAD members of the Garda Roads Policing unit have been appointed throughout the country.

The appointments come as part of the force’s Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021. The programme has seen the Traffic Corps unit renamed Roads Policing and today 80 gardaí and seven sergeants were appoint to units across the country.

A further 63 gardaí have been successful in a recent competition and will be appointed in October 2018, bringing the total number of Gardaí in Roads Policing to over 700.

Further appointments will be made in 2019, 2020 and 2021 in order to reach a commitment given by the Garda Commissioner to incrementally increase the numbers in Roads Policing to 1,031 by 2021.

Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey told the newly appointed members that they will play a key role in making our roads safer and protecting road users.

Commissioner Twomey also said that this must be done “with the support of the community and encouraged members to be utterly professional in their work, to be balanced in their actions and be both reasonable and proportionate in the execution of their duties”.

Last year was the safest year recorded on Irish roads and the challenge is to continue the hard work to ensure that the downward trend in road deaths and serious injuries continues.

The newly-selected members will be deployed throughout Dublin and the rest of the country, strengthening existing units and creating new ones.

Swinford in Mayo sees a new unit established with a sergeant and five gardaí appointed and Tipperary sees their units also increase by six gardaí while Clare will get an additional sergeant and four gardaí.