In one case, the driver of a patrol car deliberately switched the direction of the forward-facing ANPR camera so that its field of vision was obstructed by the rear-view mirror
A new report has found a significant number of Gardaí working in the Road Policing Unit have deliberately ignored offences.
Released today, the review by Crowe consultants is being described as shocking, stark and disturbing.
It looked at the behaviour of 100 Gardaí involved in roads policing across six divisions.
It found the majority were professional, dedicated, and productive, but says a significant cohort of officers were disinterested, have a poor work ethic and were ignoring offences on purpose.
Seen by Kfm, the report encountered RPU members who appeared to show little interest in detecting road traffics offences; a small number who said that they disliked their job and were eagerly looking forward to retirement; and a small number who seemed disinterested in the fact that their ANPR equipment (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) was switched off or not functioning properly.
In one case, the driver of a patrol car deliberately switched the direction of the forward-facing ANPR camera so that its field of vision was obstructed by the rear-view mirror.
The Crowe report noted that reliability of the ANPR equipment appeared to have contributing factors to the productivity issues seen.
Accompanied by those conducting the report, in approximately 30% of the RPU patrol vehicles, the ANPR system either was not working at all, or took a long time to activate properly.
Some RPU members appeared to have given up on trying to get ANPR to work in some vehicles.
A stark finding is that RPU supervisors across the six divisions expressed the view that within any RPU, there seemed to be a small number of highly committed, productive members who were passionate about road safety.
RPU supervisors said they felt frustrated by RPU members, saying that they feel they cannot address the situation in which many members are purposely avoiding productive work on a routine basis.
Limited capacity, absence of Sergeants and promotion to RPUs despite lacking qualifications are just some of the reasons listed in the report as to why the supervision and management of RPU activities is ineffective.
The report also outlined issues with training, equipment, fleet and structures.
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