An Garda Síochána are are hiring hundreds of additional cars for the force to increase their capacity for community outreach during the cornavirus pandemic.
The Gardaí are hiring 210 additional vehicles to allow them to help the most vulnerable people in the community amid the coronavirus outbreak as people are encouraged to stay at home.
These will be used to maintain personal interactions, staying in touch with the elderly and other vulnerable people, as well as providing additional supports such as collecting prescriptions and bringing people to hospital appointments as needed.
As a community at this time we need more than ever to support the most vulnerable in our society, particularly our elderly and isolated,” Deputy Commissioner Twomey said.
“An Garda Síochána has always worked closely with our communities and we continue to do so in these extraordinary times”.
The Gardaí are continuing to encourage people to abide by social distancing guidelines as the government is urging people to restrict their movements for the next two weeks.
These are not ‘primary response vehicles’ in the same vein as normal patrol cars, a statement from the gardaí said.
Any person with these concerns for themselves or for a neighbour should contact their local Garda station, Contact details, including email contact, for all Garda stations can be found on the Garda website or in any phonebook.
An Garda Síochána has established a COVID-19 National Co-Ordination Unit operating from Garda Headquarters under Deputy Commissioner Twomey, Policing and Security to co-ordinate and manage a strategic Garda response to this dynamic situation.
The work of this unit includes daily meetings with Regional Commanders and Heads of Section monitoring the pandemic as it evolves in Ireland.
