The number of Gardai working in roads policing has dropped by 41% in the past 15 years.
Back in 2009 there were 1,046 officers policing our roads while the numbers in May it was 620.
123 people have died on the county’s roads so far this year, 10 more compared to the same time last year including 49 drivers, 27 passengers, 20 pedestrians, 16 motorcyclists, seven pedal cyclists, three e-scooter users and one pillion passenger.
Road safety groups have expressed alarm that the number of Garda Road Policing Unit (RPU) personnel has dropped so much.
In April 2024, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris issued a directive for all members to conduct 30 minutes of high-visibility roads policing operations during each tour of duty. The allocation of Garda resources, including those in roads policing , is managed to ensure effective policing and public safety and is kept under constant review by local and senior Garda management.
A statement from An Garda Síochána says “In 2024 every Garda has been provided with a mobility device (over 15,000 devices)”.
“Mobility Devices are smart phones, which in addition to providing the normal access to phonecalls, data, maps, camera etc…. are also connect securely to internal Garda databases providing access to Traffic Enforcement related Apps in addition to other Apps, including:-
• Traffic APP – Search PULSE Database on vehicles and drivers
• FCN App – Issue Fixed Change Notices directly from mobility device
• Insurance App
• Person Search APP – Search PULSE database on individuals
• GardaSAFE APP – provide access to GardaSAFE, live incident information for responders
An Garda Síochána currently has the largest ever fleet of vehicles, including vehicles deployed to Roads Policing of which 130 are fully equipped ANPR vehicles”.
