A Garda was knocked out after being punched in the head by a crazed thug as he responded to a row before his colleague was also attacked.
The cop attended an incident on Fitzgibbon Street on Sunday night just before 8pm. The garda had already called for assistance when a man began to attack him, punching him and knocking him out.
His colleagues were quickly on the scene where they managed to restrain the man before a woman hit another officer, cutting his lip. The garda who was knocked out was taken to the Mater Hospital to be treated for concussion.
He stayed overnight into Monday before being discharged by medics. His colleague did not require medical treatment. A man and a woman, both aged in their 30s, were arrested and taken to Mountjoy Garda Station and held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
The woman was later released with a file going to the Director of Public Prosecutions while the man remained in custody yesterday. A source said: "This is another shocking incident and it highlights the dangers gardai face when responding to incidents and trying to protect the communities they serve."
Figures released in October revealed that a staggering 2,411 officers were assaulted over the past decade - an average of 240 a year. The number of attacks went from 144 in 2012 to 241 last year. A total of 196 gardai were attacked on duty up until October 14 this year.
The figures were obtained from the Garda Pulse network for recorded crime. The worst year for Garda assaults was 2019 with 247 attacks.
The Justice Minister Helen McEntee condemned the increase in attacks on gardai and other members of frontline services. She said: "Attacks on the members of An Garda Siochana not only injure the victims but communities as a whole.
“An attack on our police force is an attack on the safety of us all. It is imperative that frontline workers are protected in carrying out their work and that law reflects and responds to the situations they find themselves in.”
On Sunday's incident, a garda spokesman added: "Investigations are ongoing."
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