Last night's fatal crash on the M7, involving a Garda car which was pursuing another vehicle, has raised once again safety concerns about the age and condition of vehicles being used by the police service.
While GSOC is investigating the incident, and while there is no suggestion that the condition of the Garda vehicle had any material effect on the crash, it is acting as a reminder that many of An Garda Síochána’s vehicles are ageing and are little more than regular family cars with appropriate livery.
While other police forces around the world go through lengthy processes of procurement and modification before approving a vehicle for police use, the gardaí have become somewhat synonymous down through the years with simply going for the cheapest available.
A spokesperson for the Garda Representative Association (GRA) told The Irish Times: "The GRA has long called for cars that are fit for purpose, by which we mean custom-built for policing. The modifications span the range from simple things such as wipe-clean seats to more serious matters such as security features.
“Instead, what generally gets procured is a standard family saloon in white which is then sent for livery and lights. It is difficult of course for the gardaí to affect this outcome when they are dealing with a fixed budget. What’s concerning are numbers we have seen that indicate one in five Garda cars have been withdrawn and not replaced.”
Clearly, that lack of replacement puts additional pressures on the fleet that’s left behind and frequently Garda vehicles are handed over from one shift to the next without any inspection for possible damage or wear between use.
In spite of being, as the GRA points out, just normal family cars, vehicles in Garda use are frequently being driven 24 hours a day.
The lack of proper modifications are also causing operational problems. Seats, for instance, designed to be sat on by a normal person wearing normal clothing, may not be suitable for a police officer wearing full uniform including an anti-stab or ballistic vest, and carrying significant extra weight in equipment.
Then there are reports that vehicles such as vans used by the Garda’s dog units are insufficiently ventilated and soundproofed, which has apparently led to hearing damage for some officers from the dogs barking loudly in the back.
“Speaking generally, the safety of the vehicles has long been a concern of the GRA’s,” continued the spokesperson.
“Especially being as many of the cars are now end-of-life vehicles.”
In 2012, the GRA passed a resolution at its annual conference which said: “Conference condemns the continuing false economy of servicing and repairing end of life vehicles and for the authorities to implement a central administrative body to efficiently purchase all public sector vehicles at competitive rates.”
While the myth of police cars modified for high-performance is generally just that – a myth, the fact is that standard cars are usually converted and upgraded to allow them to handle the demands of modern policing.
In the UK for instance, Volvo has long been a supplier to several major constabularies, and offers a bespoke, factory-sourced package for police forces purchasing its vehicles.
Those modifications include such small items as an extra passenger-side mirror to heavy-duty self-levelling suspension and batteries and a larger, long-range fuel tank.
Volvo UK said it had been supplying the UK emergency services for over 50 years.
“All of the vehicles in the range are EMC and Metropolitan Police brake test compliant and come with bespoke factory-fitted features as standard.”
One American car maker, a start-up known as Carbon Motors, tried to create a bespoke vehicle for police forces, based around the 3.0-litre diesel engine from a BMW 530d.
Rear-drive and rugged looking, the Carbon Motors E7 had such features as a head-up display, infra-red night vision, integrated firearms storage, an intelligent key that meant it couldn’t be hijacked and a hose-down rear compartment.
While it seemed perfect for police needs, Carbon Motors ignominiously folded with debts of USD$21-million because police forces preferred to keep their production-based Ford Crown Victorias, Chevrolet Impalas and Dodge Chargers.
