The vast majority of gardai deal with telephone queries from the public in an efficient and polite manner, according to a survey. The findings have been described as encouraging by the Garda Quality Service Bureau, which commissioned the survey as part of an effort to improve service.
Gardai in Limerick proved the least impressive on the telephone, while Galway gardai were the best.
The survey was carried out by Irish Marketing Surveys using the "mystery shopper" research technique. This involved trained telephone interviewers making 1,001 calls to Garda stations across the State to ask questions about passports, motor insurance, traffic, visas and driving licences.
The average satisfaction rating for the 135 district and divisional headquarters surveyed was 89 per cent. The rating took into account the speed at which calls were answered, the greeting used, general politeness and efficiency.
Garda district headquarters in Clifden, Co Galway, Cavan and Clonakilty, Co Cork, all achieved a 100 per cent satisfaction rating. The Limerick division came bottom of the survey with a rating of 83 per cent while the Galway division was top with 95 per cent.
The results showed that 85 per cent of calls were answered within six rings and 86 per cent were dealt with without the caller being placed on hold. Overall 91 per cent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with how their queries were handled.
The survey showed room for improvement in a small number of stations and 3 per cent of callers said gardai could have been better informed, more patient and less abrupt when handling calls.