Garda check point figures inflated

The latest scandal to hit An Garda Síochána of almost 1m phantom breath tests took another twist yesterday as fresh claims emerged that checkpoint numbers may also have been greatly exaggerated.

The Policing Authority was yesterday contacted by a recently retired garda sergeant who claims there is evidence the volume of breath test checkpoints were inflated in official figures.

It comes a day after it was revealed around 1m breath tests between 2012 and 2016 were falsely recorded, and 14,700 people were incorrectly prosecuted for failing to pay a fixed charge notice when they were never given notice to pay.