Tackle road carnage, urge gardaí
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors claims better use should be made of traffic units to help tackle the high rate of road fatalities.
AGSI president Joe Dirwan said that traffic accidents cost the economy about 700 million every year, while the total figure for crime was just 73m.
“On the basis of those figures alone, more resources should be devoted to traffic,” said Mr Dirwan. He claimed 4% of the force was deployed on traffic duties, compared to a figure of over 8% in Britain. The association has also expressed concern about the safety and cost factors associated with the failure to replace Garda vehicles at regular intervals.
“Too many of our units are working with too few members, in old vehicles and without sufficient computer and clerical support,” said Mr Dirwan.
The criticisms are contained in a hard-hitting submission which the AGSI has made to a special Strategic Planning Working Group examining reform of the force.
While the Government is considering the establishment of a dedicated traffic corps, the AGSI said existing traffic units should be used to improve motorists’ driving skills. It claimed that traffic units had to be used as a means of improving road behaviour and “not just acting as a cash generator for Government.” “We want Garda resources to concentrate on tackling bad road behaviour in an effective way and ensure that all drivers are properly documented and insured,” said AGSI spokesperson Austin Kenny.
