7 Garda cars out of service due to mileage

SEVEN Garda patrol cars have been decommissioned in parts of Co Cork due to excessive mileage.

And a similar number may be taken out of service in Cork city over the next few months.

That’s according to the organisation representing the country’s rank and file gardaí who claim the lack of new replacement vehicles will cause serious problems to frontline gardaí trying to deliver a proper service.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) highlighted the issue yesterday, amid concern that it had access to fewer and fewer low-mileage vehicles.

GRA vice-president, Mallow-based Garda John Parker, described the situation as very serious. He said seven patrol cars had been decommissioned in the Cork North Garda Division – which covers north and east Cork. The vehicles, normally 1.8-litre Ford Mondeo models, had to be taken out of service because the manufacturer wouldn’t guarantee their safety after 300,000km.

Another patrol car was also taken out of commission following an accident, while a Traffic Corps motorcycle was also decommissioned.

In three cases, 1.8-litre Mondeo models have been replaced as main district patrol cars by 1.4-litre vehicles. These have been seconded from other stations, mainly in rural areas.

“A number of years ago, An Garda Síochána carried out extensive scrutiny on its fleet and decided that nothing less than a 1.8-litre vehicle was suitable as a patrol car. We should be using larger saloon cars, such as 1.8-litre Ford Mondeos as patrol cars instead of the smaller, family type Ford Focus 1.4-litre cars,” Garda Parker said.

Gardaí, he said, didn’t blame management for the problem as they were trying to do their best with dwindling resources, but laid the blame squarely on the shoulders of Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.

“The officers and men are doing the best with what they have, but the lack of sufficient and proper vehicles makes it much harder,” Garda Parker said.

He said in the event of an emergency, 1.4-litre Ford Focus patrol cars couldn’t respond as quickly as a 1.8-litre Ford Mondeo.

“Also it is not easy to get a violent prisoner into the back of a smaller vehicle. It’s like trying to squeeze an elephant into a mini,” he said.

He maintained that gardaí were not being provided with the adequate tools and this was weakening the force’s ability. to do the job.

“If this was the horse-racing industry you wouldn’t ask a jockey to get up on a donkey,” Garda Parker said.

Meanwhile, GRA national executive member Mick Corcoran said gardaí in Cork city were facing similar problems.

He said between seven and nine patrol cars in the city may have to be decommissioned between now and Christmas because they have all clocked up more than 250,000km.

A Garda management spokesman said it was hoped to increase the life-expectancy of these cars by moving them to stations where usage would be lower. They, in turn, would be replaced by newer, if sometimes smaller, vehicles.