Moves are to be made by the Garda Commissioner to create more resources for the public order unit and prioritise gardai for COVID-19 vaccines following the protest chaos in Dublin over the weekend.
The Garda Representative Association met with Drew Harris today to discuss the issues, and he has made a commitment to revisit both issues, they said.
Further protests against lockdown restrictions are expected to take place around St Patrick's Day, with events also planned for Cork.
There have been 25 arrests made since the protest fell apart after a firework was shot from the crowd at gardai.
GRA President Frank Thornton said: "Our members were spat at, had urine thrown at them and were forced into numerous close physical engagements during Saturday’s violence in Dublin.
“These close contacts were with people who are opposed to public health measures to prevent Covid infection which increased the risk of infection for our members.
“The Commissioner accepted our contention that gardaí are critical frontline workers and said he would argue for higher prioritisation of gardaí for vaccination at government level.
“Several members sustained injuries on Saturday including one who underwent surgery this week for a serious ankle injury."
After Saturday’s events, the GRA reiterated its call for better resourcing of public order units and better equipment such as body cameras.
He continued: “Our number one priority is member safety and we got a firm commitment from the Commissioner to look again at how public order events are policed, including the planning and resourcing of operations.
“There are efforts to organise demonstrations in Cork and Dublin over the next couple of weeks so urgent action is critical."
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