Customs and AGS

sgthighway

Question relating to Customs Checkpoints;

If I was driving down the road and was approaching a Customs Checkpoint and simply overtook them and kept going; what can be done if there was no Gardai present?

I am under the impression that if you are stopped they can check your car but they are not allowed to pull you over.

donvito99

I'm pretty sure that you are obliged to pull over at a Customs checkpoint (if you weren't everybody would be doing it), and I'd say customs can pull you over, difficult alas without the blue lights.

donvito99

donvito99 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that you are obliged to pull over at a Customs checkpoint (if you weren't everybody would be doing it), and I'd say customs can pull you over, difficult alas without the blue lights.

You are obliged to stop for them. The programme on RTE showed them stopping cars in that.

jd83

donvito99 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that you are obliged to pull over at a Customs checkpoint (if you weren't everybody would be doing it), and I'd say customs can pull you over, difficult alas without the blue lights.

They have orange lights in back window of some of thier cars that say customs please stop. However they would have to get in front of you first and you are obliged to pull over for them. If you dont though all they can do is report you, i dont think they can chase and pull you over.

I worked in one of thier offices before as a temp and they said the higher ups had tried to get permission to use blue lights before but the gardai were opposed to it

donvito99

jd83 wrote: »

They have orange lights in back window of some of thier cars that say customs please stop. However they would have to get in front of you first and you are obliged to pull over for them. If you dont though all they can do is report you, i dont think they can chase and pull you over.

I worked in one of thier offices before as a temp and they said the higher ups had tried to get permission to use blue lights before but the gardai were opposed to it

lol. Please stop.

sdanseo

jd83 wrote: »

They have orange lights in back window of some of thier cars that say customs please stop. However they would have to get in front of you first and you are obliged to pull over for them. If you dont though all they can do is report you, i dont think they can chase and pull you over.

I worked in one of thier offices before as a temp and they said the higher ups had tried to get permission to use blue lights before but the gardai were opposed to it

Used to work in the airport - customs can, I believe, and are equipped to run on blue lights. Theres vehicles with blue lights parked up in Dublin. Must confess I never saw them in action though.

Generally at a full-blown checkpoint there will be a number of agencies present Customs, AGS, etc - certainly near the airports anyway.

Hooch

sdonn wrote: »

Used to work in the airport - customs can, I believe, and are equipped to run on blue lights. Theres vehicles with blue lights parked up in Dublin. Must confess I never saw them in action though.

Generally at a full-blown checkpoint there will be a number of agencies present Customs, AGS, etc - certainly near the airports anyway.

Looks like your right,


To be honest, I have never seen Customs with blue lights though. On all the hundreds of checkpoints i've been on with them they have always had amber.

jd83

sdonn wrote: »

Used to work in the airport - customs can, I believe, and are equipped to run on blue lights. Theres vehicles with blue lights parked up in Dublin. Must confess I never saw them in action though.

Generally at a full-blown checkpoint there will be a number of agencies present Customs, AGS, etc - certainly near the airports anyway.

I worked in the port none of the cars had blue lights only the orange stop lights. They had a jeep the exact same as that one in the pic but with out blue lights but this was a year or 2 ago so maybe they have changed now.

goldie fish

Within the Airport, they can use blue lights(as well as amber) however that wagon never goes beyond the Airport.
All the other Marked Customs cars have amber lightbars.

And remember, if you don't stop for revenue, they know a lot more about you than the Gardai do....

Hooch

goldie fish wrote: »

And remember, if you don't stop for revenue, they know a lot more about you than the Gardai do....

Sounds like a threat!!! Stop or i'll tell your mommy:p:D:D

sdanseo

goldie fish wrote: »

Within the Airport, they can use blue lights(as well as amber) however that wagon never goes beyond the Airport.
All the other Marked Customs cars have amber lightbars.

And remember, if you don't stop for revenue, they know a lot more about you than the Gardai do....

Yeah, could be similar story to the AP jurisdiction. I remember commenting ages ago that within the wording of the Act, theoretically, DAP can pursue suspects outside the airport but would also theoretically have to turn off the blues and obey traffic rules outside the fence, which may be the same for customs. Mad :P

Zambia

I love the way Ireland is full of these little chinese rumours. We are forever passing on little juicy back door ways of getting around the legal obiligations the goverment we voted in has imposed on us.

Its always a friend of a friend who has done it or someone I know knows someone in customs etc. However no one is brave enough to ever chance doing it.

It was like the old story a motorcycle cop could not give you a ticket without his cap on. :rolleyes:

I doubt the customs would pursue you even if they could* but you can be rest assured at some piont the reg of your car would lead to customs and AGS rocking up to your front door. I am sure there is a law against speeding through legal check pionts.

By the way this is in no way a swipe at the OP it just came to mind. its an interesting enough piont as far as I was concerned the only people who should be pursuing anyone in Ireland for any reason is AGS.

*No way I would recommend chasing anyone in a Terrano. First sharp corner and you would all be turtles.

petergfiffin

I had heard before (again more rumours!! ) that Customs can only (legally) have a checkpoint on the road & stop cars if accompanied by the Gardai. I was always under the impression that only the Gardai have the power to stop cars. I would imagine if you voluntarily stopped (as most people do) then Customs are well within their rights to search your vehicle but I don't know if they can oblige you to stop.


As for the blue lights thing there is another thread running in ES about the use of blue lights and I imagine that Customs fall into the same category as some others i.e. they may have them but it doesn't necessarily mean it's legal.

goldie fish

petergfiffin wrote: »

I had heard before (again more rumours!! ) that Customs can only (legally) have a checkpoint on the road & stop cars if accompanied by the Gardai. I was always under the impression that only the Gardai have the power to stop cars. I would imagine if you voluntarily stopped (as most people do) then Customs are well within their rights to search your vehicle but I don't know if they can oblige you to stop.

Customs, in Uniform have the power to stop Vehicles.
I'll have the relevant law for you later if you want.

deadwood

One of my personal favourites was the annual pilgrimage to Knock. God be with the days when there'd be coach loads from all over the country, and a decade of the Rosary every time you passed a station. I remember on one particular occasion, I got to kiss a bishops ring.

Hooch

deadwood wrote: »

One of my personal favourites was the annual pilgrimage to Knock. God be with the days when there'd be coach loads from all over the country, and a decade of the Rosary every time you passed a station. I remember on one particular occasion, I got to kiss a bishops ring.

Eh???

deadwood

nice guy always wrote: »

Eh???

Mightn't be too fashionable now, but some customs are worth keeping, in my onion.

sdanseo

deadwood wrote: »

One of my personal favourites was the annual pilgrimage to Knock. God be with the days when there'd be coach loads from all over the country, and a decade of the Rosary every time you passed a station. I remember on one particular occasion, I got to kiss a bishops ring.

Gave me a good giggle when explained

Hooch

deadwood wrote: »

Mightn't be too fashionable now, but some customs are worth keeping, in my onion.

I was going to call you a lamp....but your too dim for that. Your a candle!!!:D:D:p:p

Burnt

Back in the day there were a couple of stretches of road along the
border notorious for hijacking. When we would head to/from Dublin
on early mornings, would often see burnt out artics etc...

Anyhow the customs on more than one occasion would set up a check
point out on these roads with their poxy amber lights and hi-viz jackets.
There was no way in hell you would stop for them, once they chased us
about 10 miles to the nearest Garda station.

Zambia

petergfiffin wrote: »

I imagine that Customs fall into the same category as some others i.e. they may have them but it doesn't necessarily mean it's legal.

Ah now, I very much doubt that someone in customs fitted or allowed to be fitted blue lights on a Vehicle if it was not legal to do so. :eek:

If they did they should be taken out the back of Shannon airport and used as a wind sock.

petergfiffin

Zambia232 wrote: »

Ah now, I very much doubt that someone in customs fitted or allowed to be fitted blue lights on a Vehicle if it was not legal to do so. :eek:

If they did they should be taken out the back of Shannon airport and used as a wind sock.

Took a look this morning and found this (I'm presuming it's the most up to date version):

S.I. No. 137/1996 - Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 1996
Section 2 Paragragh B (iii) (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1996/en/si/0137.html)
(iv) the light shown by the lamp shall be blue, except in the case of a Customs and Excise patrol vehicle, a breakdown vehicle, a road clearance vehicle, a road works vehicle, a vehicle used in the collection and disposal of domestic refuse or a vehicle used in the maintenance of telephone services or of gas or electricity supply, when the light shown by the lamp shall be amber,

I'll grab the stick and meet you out back:D

bazjnr

S. 134 (2) Finance Act 2001-
A customs officer in uniform or a Garda may stop any vehicle for any purpose related to vehicle registration tax. The person in charge of the vehicle must keep it stationary to allow examination and must move it to a more suitable location if the officer considers it necessary.

S. 134 (1) F.A. 2001 as amended by S. 59 F.A. 2005 and S. 88(c)F.A. 2005.-
Empowers an customs officer in uniform to stop any vehicle in which excisable products, any other products chargeable with excise duty or any prohibited goods are being transported or are reasonably believed to be transported. The person in charge of the vehicle must keep it stationary to allow examination and must move it to a more suitable location if the officer considers it necessary.