The Garda Commissioner has said that the decision to stand down the Garda National Public Order Unit at 7am in Coolock in Dublin before disturbances there last July was not the right decision in hindsight.
Drew Harris insisted, however, that calls for assistance were responded to.
He was speaking following a documentary by RTÉ Investigates, which was shot over six months and recorded the behaviour and activities of people protesting against accommodation for migrants in Coolock.
The Garda Commissioner also admitted that there are lessons to be learned, but said gardaí are determined to bring offenders to justice.
He said that gardaí are seeking the RTÉ footage from last night's programme so that they can prosecute people seen committing offences in it.
Mr Harris said the first time he saw it was last night, but also expressed frustration that in spite of appeals other footage from the premises at Coolock had not been made available to them until they secured a court order.
Thirty-four people have already been arrested and 26 have been before the courts.
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Mr Harris said that there can only be prosecutions if gardaí have the evidence and they have yet to receive the RTÉ footage.
The Garda Commissioner said that in particular, they had no knowledge until recently of the body worn footage which contains very graphic imagery, disgraceful and probably criminal behaviour.
He said that it does not help gardaí that eight weeks later they are finding footage that they have not had sight of before, in spite of appeal for people with footage to come forward and in spite of the fact that gardaí approached individuals responsible for security at the Coolock site.
Meanwhile, RTÉ said that the footage broadcast last night and filmed inside the former Crown Paint factory was recorded on RTÉ Cameras.
The broadcaster said it has given an undertaking to An Garda Síochána to provide the footage next week, once RTÉ has fulfilled its journalistic obligations to protect sources.
Commissioner Harris said that people could see the vitriol, the hatred and the abuse directed at the gardaí when they are there to protect everyone and keep the peace.
"Where is all this going?" he asked. "It’s taking us nowhere and its terrible to see."
The Garda Commissioner also defended gardaí for not intervening when RTÉ reporter Barry O'Kelly was being pushed and abused and appeared to have been assaulted.
Mr Harris said gardaí were standing right beside him and facing a volatile mob. That group he said "are riled up, are full of all types of abuse and hatred". He said that for the gardaí to intervene would have "escalated the situation".
He accepted that the reporter was in a difficult and unpleasant situation, but he was standing close to the public order line.
