Unmarked Old Fiat Punto - Garda?

BlackWizard

I was driving home yesterday when an unmarked Fiat Punto (98-2000) with blue lights flashing at the front pulled into the middle of the junction and forced it's way onto the road.

It caused lots of consfusion as there was only lights at the front and no sound at all. The two guys in it where in their early 20's and looked quite rough looking.

Was that the Garda? I wasn't sure wether or not to let them out. In the end they nearly took my bumper off just to get out onto the road despite me deciding not to let them out...

The lights where in the arrangement of one LED flashing light at the bottom right and left of the front window and then some sort of long LED on permantly under the bumper.

Mr Benevolent

You might want to ask this on the AGS forum.

mickdw

Souonds dodgy to me with the car being that old and I would think the gardai would have lights at the rear too.

CharlieCroker

Can I just say, just because it wasn't a mondeo with 3 hubcaps, it wasnt a garda car. If it has blue lights, get out of the way!!! Even if it was dodgy, and wasnt a state car, what does it matter to you?

MarkR

Could be skangers, could be cops. If you didn't get the reg, not much you can do. If you did, you can call traffic watch or your local station I would guess.

BlackWizard

CharlieCroker wrote: »

Can I just say, just because it wasn't a mondeo with 3 hubcaps, it wasnt a garda car. If it has blue lights, get out of the way!!! Even if it was dodgy, and wasnt a state car, what does it matter to you?

ughh... just leave the thread man if you have nothing worth while to say..

I was just enquiring if this was infact a Garda car.

I don't think I have to explain the entire situation as to why I didn't get out of the way. You'll have to take my word that it would of endangered other motorists and pedestrians aswell as myself If I moved out of the way. In the end, I was driving down a path and I scraped my alloy (has many scrapes already but that's besides the point) :mad:

BlackWizard

MarkR wrote: »

Could be skangers, could be cops. If you didn't get the reg, not much you can do. If you did, you can call traffic watch or your local station I would guess.

I've no reg It was happening too quick. 4 of us in the car and none of us got the reg or even car year.

edit: I do accept that it could of been a Garda. Drove with the confidence of a Garda car by just pulling into the middle of the junction like they have done it before. But it was very dangerous as I could of killed someone or other cars could of done the same.

colm_mcm

They definitely have an unmarked Punto van with tinted windows. really beat up looking. Didn't see what lights it had, it was a surveillence vehicle.

mickdw

MarkR wrote: »

Could be skangers, could be cops. If you didn't get the reg, not much you can do. If you did, you can call traffic watch or your local station I would guess.

And the cops would give a f*ck Im sure.
You might get the response....just because it wasn't a mondeo with 3 hubcaps, it wasnt a garda car. If it has blue lights, get out of the way!!! Even if it was dodgy, and wasnt a state car, what does it matter to you?

BlackWizard

colm_mcm wrote: »

They definitely have an unmarked Punto van with tinted windows. really beat up looking. Didn't see what lights it had, it was a surveillence vehicle.

Thanks. I guess it probably was Garda. It wasn't tinted and had 5 doors. But I guess it's plausible it was Garda. Hope they caught the bad guys after causing all this fuss!

MarkR

There was a lad in Limerick prosecuted for impersonating a garda before. Not sure to what level it was, but these guys did a bit more then mis-pronounce vehicle if they weren't cops.

BlackWizard

http://www.policeoracle.com/news/Conman-Jailed-For-Impersonating-Police-Officer_21400.html

This guy even pretended at his own wedding that he was a police officer!

dirtydiesel

I find the idea of being chased by an unmarked punto amusing. Its sure to break down maybe even blow the head gasket.

CharlieCroker

Oh ya, its a Fiat so it MUST break down!!!:rolleyes:

OP, sorry if there was some confusion to my origional post. I wasn't having a go, I was just saying that not all unmarked cars are patrol cars without stickers. Some are properly unmarked for obvious reasons and as such some of these vehicles are what you might not expect.

franksm

Lucan have (or had) an untidy Hyundai Accent of '98 vintage or so. Looks like an anonymous, unloved shopping mobile on the outside, but the inside is shockingly manky.

Driver's seat sporting a cardboard cover LOL. That car has lamps and a siren but they were telling me that they would be too embarrassed to put them to use ;-)

C Eng

I have seen a punto like the one OP describes. Two plain clothes men got out and stopped a car. To look at the state of the car, you could be forgiven for thinking it is a wind up. Seemed effective as the occupants of the stopped car were taken in.

andy125

C Eng wrote: »

I have seen a punto like the one OP describes. Two plain clothes men got out and stopped a car. To look at the state of the car, you could be forgiven for thinking it is a wind up. Seemed effective as the occupants of the stopped car were taken in.

What were the guys stopped in?

Smart car?

psycho-hope

there used to be a battered old pre'95 fiesta knocking around wicklow a few years ago, looked like it had been left in a yard for years then dragged out when they got stuck for vehicles:D

ronaneire

Yeah the Guards have a green Fiat Punto. I seen two uniformed cops get into one in Store Street a few months back. I was a bit gob smacked :eek:

johndaman66

Did this occur in County Tipperary by any chance OP? I do believe from reading a thread before Christmas that the Guards employ a beat up old Punto in a County Tip town.

jaffa20

I've seen gardai driving a toyota yaris so it wouldn't suprise me.

Gary ITR

Unmarked cars are unmarked for a reason. Anyway the OP has been answered so I'm locking this