Car crisis sees police service ‘grind to a halt’

The police service is literally “grinding to a halt” with 350 ageing Garda vehicles having to be retired on average every year and few replacements provided.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said criminals would have a “field day” when the operational budget for the Garda fleet ran out by the end of October.

Addressing Justice Minister Alan Shatter at their annual conference, AGSI president Padraic Dolan also said the decision to close 39 Garda stations this year was “absolutely disgraceful”.