Bruising, grazes and bites - the most common injuries to on-duty gardaí
More than 1,400 on-duty gardaí have been assaulted over the past six years.
Figures released to The Herald under the Freedom of Information Act show 158 officers were attacked in the first 11 months of last year - an average of 14 a month.
Gardaí in the DMR West Division in Dublin suffered the most assaults, while officers in Waterford and Kerry recorded the second and third highest number respectively.
The most frequent injuries were bruising, grazes and bites. Sprains and strains were second most common while closed fractures was third.
A number of gardaí suffered infections as a result of their injuries.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) said it believed the actual number of injuries suffered by on-duty gardaí was much higher than that reported.
Spokesman John O'Keeffe Tole The Herald that assaults were "hugely under-reported" and sentencing was not a deterrent.
"There is no comparable occupation where employees are likely to suffer such a debilitating range of injuries and subsequent illnesses while carrying out their normal operational duties," he said.
