The Garda Commissioner, Mr Patrick Byrne, has promised an "operational presence and response" in every Garda district today, despite the Garda Representative Association's "blue flu" industrial action.
Mr Byrne said he expected there would be a Garda presence "adequate to deal with whatever problems that arise", but said he had been assured that there would be units of the Defence Forces on standby.
Mr Byrne said the Garda intended to provide "general patrolling in the country" today and promised that stations which were open 24 hours in normal circumstances would be open as normal today. Such stations would "form the nucleus of operations".
"We have provision for responding to calls and to deal with general security as well as specific security for installations, people, cash, explosives, and points of entry to the country. Court attendances have also been catered for to a degree."
The commissioner said it would become clear shortly after 6 a.m. today and at regular two-hourly intervals what level of staffing would be available to the force. All training and in-service programmes scheduled for today had been postponed and administrative support would be "to the absolute minimum".
"We will do everything we possibly can to thwart criminality, but bear in mind I do not have the optimum resources to deal with the issues that I normally would have on a Bank Holiday weekend.
"I honestly believe at this stage that we have adequate resources to deal with public order on Friday night, but who knows what is likely to happen in the next 24 hours?
"Everybody's shoulder will be at the wheel from my shoulder right down to the youngest student in the Garda Siochana. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, nor would I deem it satisfactory . . . but we will provide a policing service for the people of this country tomorrow [Friday].
"Criminals will be in for a sharp surprise if they think it's going to be open season in terms of committing crime."
Commissioner Byrne said the lack of co-operation from GRA leadership had increased "the difficulties involved in ensuring a proper police service". He said that up until Wednesday evening the GRA executive had not made themselves available to meet him, despite the fact that his "door was always open".
"As the public stance of the GRA executive was that the protest was not centrally organised, each individual member of the Garda Siochana had to "make up his or her own mind" on whether to report sick, he said.
"I cannot agree with the tactic of reporting sick as a form of protest. I still cannot believe that any substantial number of gardai will participate in this pretence. If it's an individual decision for members of the Garda Siochana, I'm saying, do the right thing."
Mr Byrne said it would be "a black day for the force" if the proposed action went ahead.
"I can understand the frustration on the pay issue and the question of pay very much affects the morale of the force, but I believe it is being addressed at the moment."
He said, "The GRA's planned action will do nothing to secure agreement, but `Blue Flu' will become the new catch-phrase of condemnation for a long time to come."
The commissioner said he was concerned that the action would do major damage to the force in the eyes of the public. "It's sad really to see that tomorrow may in one stroke nullify all the successes we've had in the public mind. Tomorrow will send an entirely wrong signal out to the community.
"Looking back on history, I think it will be the first time ever that certain sections of the Garda Siochana failed to provide a policing service to the country."
