REVEALED: How much have garda road policing numbers dropped? Figures revealed as road deaths increase
National figures have fallen dramatically since their peak in 2009, with an over 40 per cent drop.
Road safety groups have expressed alarm that the number of Garda Road Policing Unit (RPU) personnel has dramatically dropped over the last 15 years, as traffic fatalities continue to spiral in Ireland.
The number of RPU personnel has dropped by 41 per cent since 2009 with a total of just 620 officers, according to revised figures published for May.
This figure was at its highest in 2009, with 1,046 officers working 15 years ago.
Road safety group Parc founder Susan Gray told the Irish Independent that it was disturbing that numbers within the RPU were falling at the time deaths on roads were soaring to levels not seen for almost 15 years.
“There is an undeniable link between Road Policing Unit numbers, enforcement of road safety regulations and the safety of our roads,” Ms Gray said.
A total of 123 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, 9 per cent more than during the same period last year (113).
Worryingly, at the current rate of fatalities, Ireland could potentially record 200 deaths by December 31, making it the deadliest year on the roads for almost 15 years. Ireland last recorded in excess of 200 deaths in 2010, when 212 people died in traffic accidents.