The Gardai are set to spend over a quarter of a million euro to find out what the public thinks of them.

It comes at a time of low public confidence in the force following a number of scandals.

The Policing Authority is seeking tenders from companies to provide public opinion surveys worth almost 255 thousand euro.

The public will be surveyed on a number of topics including their views of the garda organisation and how it can be improved, and 'satisfaction with the service' provided to local communities