The Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has announced more visible and responsive garda patrols on motorways and for rural communities.

The new scheme will see increased surveillance of criminal gangs, and enhanced night-time public order policing.

Minister Fitzgerald says €5.3m will be given to An Garda Síochána for the purchase of 260 vehicles between now and the end of the year.

The new investment will provide the gardaí with more high-powered vehicles, marked and unmarked patrol cars, cars for surveillance and covert operations, motorcycles and vehicles for public order policing.

The investment comes on top of the almost €29m the Government has invested since 2012 in renewing the garda fleet.

It will be accompanied by a new recruitment campaign to be announced shortly, which will see 600 new gardaí recruited in 2016.

Meanwhile the Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin says overhauling the garda fleet will allow the force to both deter and intercept gangs targeting rural areas.

Mr Howlin says the spend is necessary to tackle one of the biggest issues facing the country.