The Road Safety Authority is seeking an urgent meeting with the Garda Commissioner over plans for a major restructure of the force.

The plan, revealed today, will see 1,800 more Gardaí on the beat by 2021.

It will also see the number of Garda divisions reduced from 28 to 19 with the number of regions dropping from six to four.

Road safety

In a statement this evening however, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) said it was “very concerned” that Roads Policing was not among the four areas identified as ‘key focus areas’ for Gardaí at an operational level.

The authority said Roads Policing was not referenced within the new plan at all and it was concerned it had been ‘effectively downgraded’ in the restructure.

“The RSA firmly believes that Roads Policing should be given the same prioritisation as the four functional areas identified in the plan released today,” it said.

“These new organisational changes appear to signify a disappointing demotion and devaluing of roads policing and related road safety.”

Urgent meeting

The authority said it had written to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to voice its disappointment and was seeking an urgent meeting with him.

It said the changes “risk unravelling much of the success Ireland has achieved in terms of reducing road fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.”

“In spite of the failures of the past, the service being provided by the Roads Policing Units has saved many lives over the past decade and last year was the safest on record,” it said. “But this has been a long and hard path to navigate.

“We urge Commissioner Harris to ensure road safety remains a strategic priority within An Garda Síochána and to effectively resource road safety enforcement to save lives.”