The Garda Representative Association has called on the Government to indemnify gardai against civil litigation arising from their duties.
The association said it was unfair for Government to expect it, as a staff association, to pay the legal fees of individual gardai who were being sued by members of the public over incidents arising from their duties.
The GRA president, Mr John Healy, said that if it were not for the financial assistance given by the association for legal fees in such cases, gardai would be unable to perform their duties for fear of litigation.
Calling on the Government to provide legal aid for gardai in such cases, Mr Healy said: "It is fundamentally wrong that the State should walk away and refuse to enter an appearance on behalf of an employee when civil actions are taken as a result of acts done properly in the course of duty . . .
"He or she is left to stand alone and only at the conclusion of the case, if it is found by the courts that he or she has acted with bona fides, does the State accept responsibility for his or her costs."