'We're only three weeks in and it's chaos': Senior gardaí take aim at mayhem caused by the force's latest cost-cutting plan - with one particular part of the country faring worst as a result

Published: 22:14, 27 July 2026 | Updated: 22:14, 27 July 2026 A new Garda directive has led to a ‘crisis’ in policing with patrol cars grounded, cells closed and four members injured in the last three weeks, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal. Informed sources say policing in Dublin city centre in particular is ‘fractured’ amid the fallout from the directive which came into effect on July 1 and which takes serving members away from their posts to relieve those on security and protection posts. The MoS can reveal the details of one shocking case where a garda was bitten by a ‘highly aggressive’ man on July 2, and had to wait an hour for a Garda van to bring him and the prisoner to a station to be processed. It is understood the Garda Training College in Tipperary Town has also been impacted by the new directive. The problems have arisen as a result of a cut in an allowance gardaí have been able to claim until now.  A subsistence allowance has historically been paid to gardaí who could not return to their station to avail of their breaks. In the Dublin metropolitan area this would have included gardaí who are preserving a crime scene or those on security duties at Leinster House and government buildings, Dolphin House Courthouse, the US Embassy and Áras an Uachtaráin. However a new directive issued by Garda management has resulted in this allowance being pulled and forces other gardaí to relieve them for their breaks. A senior source says the cost- cutting on behalf of Garda management has caused ‘mayhem’. They added: ‘Since the requirement to relieve members on protection and security posts, the situation in Garda stations has become significantly worse and has seen stations ground patrol cars.  'Stations are also unable to process some prisoners.’ A new Garda directive has led to a ‘crisis’ in policing with patrol cars grounded, cells closed and four members injured in the last three weeks, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal The source said in Dublin the minimum number of gardaí that should be working in Pearse Street, Kevin Street/Kilmainham and Donnybrook/Irishtown was ‘consistently not being met’. They added: ‘Where there is no patrol car, cars are sourced from other city centre stations to answer calls.  'Community policing members have also been utilised to crew a patrol car for a period. ‘People arrested have been brought to Kevin Street, Kilmainham, Irishtown, Store Street, Terenure, Blackrock, Rathmines, Crumlin and even Ronanstown Garda Station.’ The MoS has also learned four gardaí have been assaulted since the new directive at the start of this month and the fact that other members were relieving security and sentry duty made response times slower. One garda was bitten during a public order incident.  He was left waiting an hour for a Garda van to bring the ‘aggressive’ prisoner to be processed and then had to get a tetanus shot before returning to work that night. Two other gardaí were forced to flag down a taxi after they were assaulted at 4am on Monday while on patrol at Aston Quay. At the time of the incident there was no mobile patrol car available to attend from Pearse Street Garda station. The MoS has learned a fourth garda suffered ligament damage to his hand earlier this month while he was detaining a person who was resisting arrest. The ‘crisis’ in policing has led to members trained in the use of tasers being unavailable as they are redeployed to relieve members on protection and security posts. Mandatory Intoxicant Checkpoints are also not being completed due to a lack of personnel. The MoS has also learned four gardaí have been assaulted since the new directive at the start of this month In an email seen by the MoS the Garda College in Tipperary sought gardaí from Thurles and Tipperary Town to work six hours overtime at the security section to ‘ensure Garda members working 12 hours tours’ can avail of ‘their two mandatory breaks’. The overtime includes two hours travel time, a briefing before handover and the cover of one 45 minute break and a second 30 minute break.  The source said: ‘We are only three weeks into this new directive and already we are seeing the effects.  'Policing in the city is broken. All this deprives the city centre of a visible policing presence.’ The informed source said policing on the ground in Dublin city has ‘significantly worsened’ since the new directive. Another source said the situation in Tipperary is resulting in a ‘higher cost to the State’. An informed source told the MoS this directive has seen the subsistence allowance gone in Dublin city centre stations. They added: ‘There can be no argument with this [subsistence allowance being removed] because members are getting to avail of their breaks. ‘[But] the Midlands Working Time Agreement states there “shall be sufficient numbers of members on duty in each district/community engagement/crime functional area at all times to ensure the health, safety and welfare of members and the public.' ‘There has been a complete failure on the part of senior management to recognise the fallout from their new directive.’ Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.