Cork Garda Representative Association member Padraig Harrington made the comment at a recent meeting with city councillors.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris met with Councillors on Friday who raised concern about the lack of officers on the street and increased levels of anti-social behaviour.
Speaking on the Neil Prendeville Show, Detective Harrington gave this answer when asked by public reps if he felt the city is safe:
"I was a straight 'no', I don't think it's safe and as I said, my mother's eighty years of age. She won't drive into the city centre herself, and thankfully if she's going into the city, I would bring her- but there's no way that I would let her. I wouldn't have it on my conscience that she'd walk down some of the streets in Cork city, there's open drug dealing and stuff like that."
