A MAN has been charged in connection with the assault of a member of An Garda Síochána.
The suspect, aged in his 60s, was first apprehended in the Churchtown area of Dublin on Wednesday.
Gardaí attended a traffic incident when one man approached and assaulted a garda, who received minor injuries.
Following the assault, the man was arrested and taken to Rathfarnham Garda Station where he was charged in connection with the incident.
He is due to appear before Tallaght District Court next month.
A spokesperson told The Irish Sun: "Gardai were attending to a traffic incident in Churchtown earlier today, 24th February 2021.
"While conducting their duties, a male approached Gardai and proceeded to assault a Garda member.
"Garda received minor injuries.
"The man, aged in his 60s, was arrested and taken to Rathfarnham Garda Station.
"He has since been charged in relation to this matter and is due to appear before Tallaght District Court next month."
The punishment for an assault of this nature – that does not occasion bodily harm – is a fine and/or imprisonment for up to 6 months.
The incident speaks to a worrying and growing trend of gardaí being harmed in the line of duty: between 2016 and 2019, there was an 18.89pc increase in assaults against gardaí.
In response to the problem, Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond has called for increased support structures for gardaí that are assaulted while performing their duties:
“On a regular basis, gardaí are exposed to the worst crimes in our society. They deserve our total respect but unfortunately many receive abuse while on duty.”
“It has been confirmed to me through a Parliamentary Question to the Minister for Justice, that as of October, 837 gardaí have been assaulted while carrying out their work," he said.
“There has been a steady increase in the reports of gardaí being assaulted while working since 2016, when 704 assaults were recorded.
“These assaults range from obstruction to minor assault and assault causing harm,” Deputy Richmond said last year.
Last summer, Detective Garda Colm Horkan was killed in the line of duty while on patrol in Roscrea when a man seized his gun and shot wildly, hitting him four times.
A state funeral was later held in his hometown of Charlestown, County Mayo, with hundreds mourning the man who was described as a "pillar in the community".
