Just the ticket: Gardaí go to SpecSavers to raise funds

THE gardaí have signed their first commercial deal in an attempt to counter hard-hitting financial cutbacks in the force.

From next month, all motor fines issued by gardaí will carry branding by the eyeglasses company SpecSavers, in a deal said to be worth a “substantial six figure sum”. The Department of Justice has confirmed the money generated will be “ring-fenced” and will not be used in general exchequer expenditure.

The deal has sparked fury among opposition politicians and some Garda officers who warn commercial contracts could damage the integrity and independence of the force.