Gardaí want to see tougher punishments for people who assault officers, amid an 'escalation' in such attacks.
Figures released by the Garda Representative Association (GRA) over the weekend show there were 199 incidents last year where gardaí were injured.
There have been several further violent assaults this year so far, while several gardaí were injured while policing an anti-lockdown protest in Dublin last month.
Brendan O’Connor, vice president of the GRA, told Newstalk Breakfast more action is now needed.
He said: “This is an ongoing problem, and it just seems to be escalating.
“It seems to be an ever-growing problem. We don’t really understand the roots or the causes, but certainly, we’re seeing the effect on the frontline.”
His organisation now wants tougher measures, including 'adequate sentencing' for those found guilty of assaulting gardaí.
Mr O'Connor argued that sentences coming from the courts must act as a deterrent to discourage any other attacks.
He also pointed to other jurisdictions where new technology has been put in place to protect and support gardaí.
He reiterated the calls for body cameras for frontline officers, saying they would capture the ‘horror and viciousness of attacks’ as evidence.
Finally, he also said more guards on duty would ensure there's enough backup for officers when responding to incidents.
Separately, Mr O'Connor said the GRA 'absolutely' supports the AGSI call for frontline gardaí to be moved up the COVID-19 vaccine priority list.
The AGSI said the Government now has to acknowledge the role gardaí "must play in mandatory hotel quarantining," after three people left a facility in Dublin over the weekend.
Mr O'Connor said gardaí are frequently intervening in situations where people are breaching social distancing rules or engaged in high-risk activity.
He said: “Time and time again we’re interacting with people who are behaving recklessly.
"We believe we’re at considerable risk… we’re very much in an exposed environment.”
