Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said that it is a "very serious matter" that over 200 Garda cars have been rammed in less than four years.

In the first nine months of this year alone, there were 31 squad car rammings.

Minister McEntee has said the actions are an "affront to our values as a society" and will not be tolerated by the Department of Justice.

Since 2019, there have been 201 instances of ramming of Garda vehicles.

There were 65 in 2019, 68 in 2020, 47 last year, and 31 this year, as of October 31st.

Cherry Orchard

One of this year's incidents happened at a housing estate in Cherry Orchard, Dublin in September

This ramming was captured on video, which was widely circulated on social media.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris described the footage ass 'disgraceful' and 'very concerning'.

The Gardaí involved were unharmed by the incident.

Those found to deliberately ram a Garda car could be convicted of dangerous driving and assault or threatening to assault resulting in possible imprisonment.

McEntee

Answering a question on the wider issue, Minister McEntee said: "I consider the deliberate ramming of Garda vehicles to be an extremely serious matter.

"The safety of the members of An Garda Síochána and the general public on our roads is of critical importance.

"Any attack on a member of An Garda Síochána is an affront to our values as a society and will not be tolerated.

"An Garda Síochána perform a vital function in providing safety and security to our communities and should be applauded and supported for their service, not subject to assault or harm in the execution of their duties."

Main mage shows a Guard and car. Picture by: Stephen Barnes/Alamy