Force set to lose nearly 300 vehicles

The Garda fleet is set to decrease by almost 300 vehicles this year as a result of its ageing profile and budgetary cutbacks.

About 385 vehicles are due to be taken out of service in 2012 with only about 100 expected to be replaced.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan acknowledged the replacement of Garda vehicles had been under-funded for many years. There are 2,623 vehicles in the Garda fleet.