Revealed: Gardaí spend €43m on equipment, clothing, and protective gear
A garda wearing a face mask on Moore St during the Covid-19 pandemic in Dublin's city centre Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Gardaí have spent more than €120,000 on Faraday bags — special shielded bags that are used to lock down mobile phones, laptops, and other electronic devices from receiving signals.
The bags, which can be used to store evidence or to protect mobile devices or vehicle keys, were purchased for €122,157 from Datapac, according to official Garda records.
The purchase was part of more than €43m in spending with private companies by An Garda Síochána during the first three quarters of 2020.
Gardaí declined to say what the Faraday bags would be used for, citing “operational and security issues”.
The expenditure reports also detail spending of €643,378 on ammunition and another €148,000 on firearms, along with parts and accessories for the guns.
Gardaí also paid out €57,500 for vest testing — which they said involved the testing of anti-stab and ballistic vests to ensure they meet safety standards.
Another €400,000 was spent on the rollout of operational footwear, €237,181 for operational trousers, with €85,150 forked out for patrol jackets, according to the records.
A further €23,672 was spent on Canon camera equipment, but gardaí again declined to provide more detail of that expenditure, only citing operational and security concerns for the purchase of the equipment.
A significant amount of the spending incurred related to Covid-19 and protection measures for officers.
A total of €136,150 was spent on disposable gowns with a further €238,595 paid out for a variety of masks, including fluid face shields.
There have been numerous incidents in recent months where gardaí were spat at during the course of their work.
More than €74,000 was forked out for nitrile gloves while €149,000 went on protective overshoes to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The records also list €640,000 in spending on general personal protective equipment (PPE) and €635,000 on sanitiser requirements.
Also purchased were €89,800 worth of thermometers and €69,600 for “Covid-19 wipes”.
Other spending listed by Gardaí included €37,800 on “public attitude surveys”, the quarterly research gardaí that they publish on public sentiment about policing.
The largest item expenditure was in the purchase of vehicles, which came to €8.3m and was paid to three different carmakers — Jaguar Land Rover Ireland, Hyundai Ireland, and Ford.
Over €1.85m was spent on mobile devices with Eir, which is understood to cover the cost of purchase of phones as well as ongoing bills.
Other purchases included €136,640 for lockers and safes, as well as €135,106 for Garda helicopter support costs.
Another €116,010 was spent on vehicle connectivity kits, while €112,500 was spent on furniture for various Garda facilities around the country.
A total of €32,314 was paid out for uniforms for garda mountain bikers and another €27,850 on a 15-seater minibus.
A statement from Gardaí said: “The costs referred to for operational footwear, op coat [patrol jackets], and vest testing [testing of anti-stab/ballistic vests continue to meet safety standards] are part of ongoing annual budgets to meet operational demands.”
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