Novice gardaí to add to numbers on roads duty in December

Recently qualified gardaí have been detailed to police roundabouts and access routes to Dublin, Cork and Limerick this month as the annual Christmas shopping spree gets underway in earnest.

The aims of ‘Operation Open City’ are to keep public transport moving and minimise traffic disruption, through high visibility and enforcement activity’ in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

The aim is for high visibility enforcement with gardaí patrolling major arterial routes and link roads at core commuter times, while there will be particular focus on traffic management issues around car parks at major shopping areas.

Some 197 novice gardaí who graduated at the end of November will take up operational duty from Monday . Some 89 gardaí have been assigned to the Dublin region, 32 each to Cork and Limerick city centres.The new recruits will support Garda Roads Policing units and local garda patrols to help people get about their day’s business, and seasonal festivities. The remaining 44 newly appointed gardaí have been deployed to border divisions.

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Operation Open City will be run alongside the Christmas Road Safety Enforcement Campaign with both operations focused on reducing road fatalities and keeping people safe.

The Garda has also issued safety tips for Christmas including the following:

* Be careful when withdrawing money from cash machines and financial institutions.

* Mind your belongings when in crowded areas. Use a handbag or shoulder bag that can be held securely.

* Do not leave bags or valuables visible inside a parked cars.

* Park cars in a controlled car park and retain the parking ticket on your person.

* Always lock your car securely when leaving it unattended, even for brief period.

* Report any incident to Gardaí, immediately.

For more on Crime Prevention visit Garda.ie/en/Crime-Prevention/