Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has announced a review of the allocation of armed gardaí as ministerial drivers.
Commissioner Callinan was speaking as he presided over his first graduation of 126 new gardaí at the Garda College in Templemore.
The review could result in a reduction in the number of gardaí driving ministers, justice ministers and former Taoisigh around, but Commissioner Callinan stressed that no decisions had been made and that security was his primary concern.
In relation to the 40% reduction of drink-driving detections, he said this was probably due to a cultural change where people had now accepted that you cannot get behind the wheel of a car while drunk.
The Commissioner also said that the gardaí had seen the dynamic of drugs change throughout the country in the last year.
Heroin, cocaine and cannabis use posed problems all over the country and he said he was concerned about the emergence of cannabis grow houses.
However, new legislation brought in against head shops has had a dramatic reduction in the sale of their products, he said.
