TV3 are set to be attacked by serving gardai over their upcoming cop soap Red Rock.
The station are spending a massive €7 million a year on their first ever home-produced soap after losing the rights to Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
However officers are already annoyed by a trailer which shows a schoolgirl flirting with a uniformed garda in an interview room.
And Richie Culhane, who retired in 2007 after 27 years on the force, said Red Rock will now face a huge “backlash” when it debuts in January.
Cops: Red Rock starts in the New Year
The Louth councillor told the Irish Sun: “I’ve never heard of a garda having an affair with a schoolgirl.
“This sort of a plotline is disingenuous, and takes away from the professionalism of the force.
“Garda management certainly won’t like this, but I think the programme makers will face an even bigger backlash from serving members.”
Bosses have brought in a retired cop who worked on the Veronica Guerin murder probe to advise on storylines. A TV3 spokeswoman said: “We don’t comment on future storylines.”
