Car crashes cost gardaí over €2m in claims

OVER €2 million was paid out to people involved in car crashes with garda vehicles last year, according to new figures.

There were 281 such cases taken against the Garda Síochána in 2004, resulting in payments from as little as €10 to €246,000.

Official figures show there are 2,310 compensation claims outstanding, including 1,100 cases of alleged garda misbehaviour.

Over €1.1m was paid out to 78 people last year as a result of the alleged actions of officers.

In the last three years, €7.6m has been paid out in claims involving car crashes with garda vehicles.

“The garda associations are continuously raising concerns about the standards of garda vehicles and the fact that gardaí can be ordered to drive a patrol car without proper training,” said Labour Party justice spokesman Joe Costello.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) yesterday said gardaí were being told by chief superintendents to drive patrol cars without proper training.

“Chief superintendents are giving this permission willy-nilly because they have no one properly trained to drive patrol cars,” said GRA president Dermot O’Donnell.

“The reason is there are insufficient driving courses to cater for the number of members that need to be trained.”

He said garda management agreed to set up a working party to deal with the quality of garda vehicles in 2003 after GRA threatened to direct members not to drive them.

“That party agreed to upgrade the cars to 1.8 litre, which would have far better safety. How far that has rolled out I’m not sure. But I want to make sure that the standards set are implemented and continue to be implemented and improved.”

Figures contained in Audited Appropriation Accounts, published by the Comptroller and Auditor General, show that €147,688 was the highest individual compensation awarded out of the 78 people who took civil actions last year against alleged garda misconduct.

Mr O’Donnell accused the Department of Justice of taking the line of “least risk” by settling out of court rather than contesting the claims in court.

“The department is doing this out of a cost perspective, rather than justice. It sends out a negative and erroneous signal to the public. If our members had a say, which they should, the cases should be fought.”

Mr Costello said the vast majority of claims were settled on the steps of the courts depriving the public of being informed of what happened.