A LIMERICK TD has called out harassment and abuse suffered by members of An Garda Síochána.
Speaking in the Seanad, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Niall Collins, called out what he described as the “unacceptable abuse” faced by members of the force.
“We must recognise that the work of the Gardaí is not celebrated in every corner of society. And I’m very conscious of the fact that in fulfilling their duties and serving the people of Ireland, members can be called on to respond to volatile and dangerous incidents,” Minister Collins said.
“I want to call out the unacceptable levels of hatred and vitriol directed at Gardaí, sometimes in person, but mostly from faceless accounts and social media platforms.”
He added that he was “aware of very concerning incidents in which threats have been directed at families and loved ones of Gardaí”, which he said were “reprehensible and unacceptable”.
“The Commissioner has confirmed that criminal probes have been launched to examine recent social media posts which issued threats against Gardaí and their families.”
Limerick City has recently recruited 40 new Gardaí, with over 650 members now stationed in the Division, Minister Collins said, resulting in more experienced Gardaí relocating to rural stations.
The new station in Newcastle West is also on track to be completed ahead of schedule, with Minister Collins saying: “Newcastle West is the key county town in Limerick, and Gardaí deserve this new state-of-the-art facility to work from, as the previous one was completely unfit for purpose.”