The Garda Federation is holding a meeting in Kevin Street Garda station in Dublin at 6 p.m. tonight to discuss Operation Dochas, the anti drug initiative introduced by Garda management last week.
Mr Chris Finnegan of the federation, which represents about 2,500 gardai in the city, said its members were having serious difficulties with Dochas.
It was not a 24 hour operation as originally planned, he said. The extra gardai on patrol were not on the streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. He added that the new night hours worked under Dochas were costing gardai £60 a month. In addition, members were being sent into dangerous areas alone rather than in the normal two garda patrols.
Garda Headquarters said yesterday it had no response to Mr Finnegan's criticisms of the operation.