A war of words over the unrest in Coolock has broken out between the Garda Commissioner and rank-and-file gardaí who fear lessons weren’t learned from the Dublin riots. The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has criticised delays in deploying the Public Order Unit to the violence in Coolock, north Dublin on Monday, which it said left officers exposed ‘to extremely volatile and dangerous conditions’. Dozens of arrests were made after gardaí were pelted with petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks by rioters opposed to the opening of an asylum centre.

The site has now been sealed off with concrete barriers but over 200 demonstrators returned on Tuesday and the Public Order Unit was on Tuesday night deployed again, with officers in riot gear dispersing people in face coverings. Speaking on Tuesday, Commissioner Harris flatly rejected claims that there was an issue with the policing response to the violence in Coolock. Asked about the GRA’s concerns over alleged delays in deploying the Public Order Unit, Mr Harris said: ‘I reject that entirely.

’ The Garda union, which represents 12,000 rank-and-file members, was heavily critical of the response. GRA president Mark O’Meara said: ‘There was a clear delay in the deployment of the Public Order Unit which potentially exposed our members at the scene to extremely volatile and dangerous conditions for a number of hours. ‘This was an organised operation, however, as a result of the delayed deployment of the Public Or.