Transport cuts may enforce private sponsorship of Garda cars

PRIVATE sponsorship of Garda vehicles is a likely option as budget cuts have put the skids on the purchase of new patrol cars.

An increasing number of vehicles, including high-powered traffic corps cars, have been withdrawn from the gardaí fleet after clocking up the maximum 300,000km.

Currently, businesses in Dublin back the Garda Mounted Support Unit based in the Phoenix Park.

Garda John Parker, deputy president of the Garda Representative Association, warned if the Government continued with cuts, “other businesses and communities around the country may feel obliged to sponsor the Garda fleet to ensure continued security in their own areas”.

“There shouldn’t have to be a situation where businesses have to sponsor patrol cars,” he said. “The last thing to do in an economic downturn is cut security budgets. Every other country has properly resourced its police force,” said Garda Parker.

He serves in the Cork North Garda Division which decommissioned 11 vehicles last year but only had five replacements.

“So we are down six and now face losing another six. All three of the Mallow traffic unit cars will reach the limit in December or January. Around the same time one will have to be decommissioned in the Cobh area, another in Midleton and possibly one in Fermoy. This is being replicated in other divisions around the country,” he said.

Last week, it emerged the high-powered traffic unit car in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny was replaced with a vehicle that was, reportedly, incapable of pursuing another in a high-speed chase.

Garda Parker said, if this wasn’t addressed, gardaí would be unable to respond to incidents in adequate numbers if they didn’t have enough transport available.

He said the government could not keep constricting the Garda budget and expect gardaí to respond as quickly as they had before.

“The public will be put at risk by these cuts. People’s house insurance will go up because there will be more break-ins that gardaí can’t respond to,” Garda Parker said.

Chief Superintendent Kieran McGann, who heads the Cork North Garda Division, said management was constantly reviewing its transport.

He said high mileage vehicles would be transferred to areas of duty which didn’t require them being on the road as much.

“I have no doubt the replacement of vehicles will be prioritised by the Garda Authorities in January,” Chief Supt McGann said.