by Louise Doyle

In today’s Donegal News we report from a 10-hour stint on the frontline with gardaí from the Roads Policing and Public Order Units for a special report.

We spent the first part of Saturday evening with the Roads Policing Unit in an unmarked garda car detecting speeding drivers and those driving under the influence. We’re told of the concerning number of drug driving incidents across the county, and of the worrying surge in cocaine use among drivers.

We see at firsthand the increasing pressures faced by gardaí on the frontline including staffing challenges, social media and the rise in drugs, particularly cocaine.

With the Public Order Unit later on Saturday night, our first call out is to a domestic-related incident. Call-outs to these incidents have also seen a rise since the Covid-19 pandemic, we are told.

During the course of the night and into the early hours, gardaí are dispatched to Letterkenny University Hospital and private residences, where each situation was met with a measured, calm and thorough approach.

Check out today’s edition of the Donegal News to read the full story.