AGSI: Call made for Irish police officers to march on Dáil in uniforms

A call has been made for Irish police officers to march on the Dáil in their uniforms if the government does not restore their pay to pre-economic crash levels.

It was made by the general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) at their annual conference in Westport.

John Jacob said he was prepared to go to jail for initiating strike action.

Public servants faced cuts averaging 15% when the crisis erupted in 2008.

The AGSI will hold a special conference to discuss possible industrial action.

The association has said morale is at an all time low and 93% of members want to take work-to-rule industrial action in respect of their efforts to get their salaries restored to levels prior to the economic crash in the Irish economy.

During his speech, Mr Jacob also outlined the dangers of the job and most of the officers in the hall stood up when asked had they ever been attacked on duty.

The association also said the closure of 95 garda stations has damaged An Garda Síochána's relationship with the community.

It said many rural communities have been left with no gardaí because they have been transferred to other areas.

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan is due to attend the conference on Tuesday.