Where are the Guards?

911s

This afternoon, spotted 3 marked traffic cars on M4/M6 parked on ramps.
Didn't seem to be any gardai in cars.Anybody have any ideas what's happening here - is it a new deterrent, park up cars, collect drivers in minibus for other duties, fuel saving measure, or are gardai asleep in back seat?

Atomic Pineapple

The week before xmas an elderly neighbour of mine was awoken to the noise of a car in her back yard.

The car was a black car that kept flashing the beams on and off and revving the engine, the Gardai were contacted and said they were on the way.

50 minutes later the car was still there and the Gardai had not arrived from the station which is 6 miles away. She contacted the Gardai again who stated they were at location X which is less than a minute from her house and she gave them exact directions to her house.

Another hour passed, the Gardai never came and the car drove off. She has heard nothing from the Gardai since then.

Locals investigated and found out it was a local man in his 30's who was so wasted on drink and drugs he didn't know where he was.

Its stories like this that paint the Gardai in a bad light, especially in smaller communities which is a shame that a small number of Gardai paint a bad picture for the force.

johnos1984

Actuallly since the 'safety' vans have been out and about I've not noticed the Gardai on the roads near as much as before.

Never heard anything this year about operation free flow either or came across one check point.

I think they are hibernating

johnos1984

draffodx wrote: »

Its stories like this that paint the Gardai in a bad light, especially in smaller communities which is a shame that a small number of Gardai paint a bad picture for the force.

For a lot of people its this which paints them in a bad light.

For many areas there are only a small number of Gardai which have to cover a vaste area.

Its not right for the Gardai or the community, sadly I don't see a change with funding etc to improve the situation

Atomic Pineapple

johnos1984 wrote: »

For a lot of people its this which paints them in a bad light.

For many areas there are only a small number of Gardai which have to cover a vaste area.

Its not right for the Gardai or the community, sadly I don't see a change with funding etc to improve the situation

Even so lying to her and then never showing up at all or even following up over the phone isn't great public relations.

I know there are some great Gardai out there, its a shame their image is ruined by Gardai that dont care and the underfunding the force receives.

milltown

Wow!
Four replies all totally unrelated to the OPs question.

Short answer, I don't know.
Longer version: I still don't know, but in the US it's fairly common to see an empty cop car parked up in the centre median of the road. Sometimes, as you pass them, you might notice a sign in the window about a recruitment drive but generally they're just left there to deter speeding. By the time you're close enough to see a sign in the window you've already checked your speed. Very effective TBH.

johnos1984

milltown wrote: »

Wow!
Four replies all totally unrelated to the OPs question.

Short answer, I don't know.
Longer version: I still don't know

Thats 5

Right 1st Time

Was it a cardboard cut out like what the police in the UK used to try out about 20 years ago?

johnos1984

draffodx wrote: »

Even so lying to her and then never showing up at all or even following up over the phone isn't great public relations.

I agree completely

In my mind it makes me think they were formerlly trades men who used to do the same when you called to have a job done in your house

Having said that its been happening for years. Mind you its all about location, I had a reaction time of 2 minutes in Dublin when my car was stolen, my Dad had a reaction time of 1.5hrs when the same happened his car in Nenagh (Where the large station is based)

As for OP's question I've often passed them with the Garda sitting in them but heaven knows what they were doing on one occasion as I was speeding, made me slow down for a long time after though

-Corkie-

Right 1st Time wrote: »

Was it a cardboard cut out like what the police in the UK used to try out about 20 years ago?

I doubt it when parked on the ramp but they have them here too.

Stky10

911s wrote: »

This afternoon, spotted 3 marked traffic cars on M4/M6 parked on ramps.
Didn't seem to be any gardai in cars.Anybody have any ideas what's happening here - is it a new deterrent, park up cars, collect drivers in minibus for other duties, fuel saving measure, or are gardai asleep in back seat?

It used to be a common tactic on the M4 for the past couple of years. Wierd when you first see it, but it still makes people slow down when they see the car, which I suppose justifies the means in some respects.

Iwannahurl

Spotted same thing on the M6 last Thursday.

I was within the speed limit, but I did notice others cars slowing so the tactic definitely has an effect.

Other posters have referred to "cut-out Garda cars" being used in some areas.

Thing is, having empty patrol cars parked up in this fashion means that they are not being used for police work elsewhere.

Also, I imagine that the effect would wear off rapidly if it's used too often.

Esel

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Thing is, having empty patrol cars parked up in this fashion means that they are not being used for police work elsewhere.

Accepting the premise that these cars were unoccupied, I would be very surprised if they were in-service vehicles, as these are in short enough supply. It would seem to me to be a cost-effective use of end-of-life Garda cars that might be worthless at auction for whatever reason. Drop them off in the small hours; move them regularly.... a lot more effective than timber cut-outs, anyway.

KingIsabella

Supposed to take order of 300 new patrol cars this month!

Dempo1

911s wrote: »

This afternoon, spotted 3 marked traffic cars on M4/M6 parked on ramps.
Didn't seem to be any gardai in cars.Anybody have any ideas what's happening here - is it a new deterrent, park up cars, collect drivers in minibus for other duties, fuel saving measure, or are gardai asleep in back seat?

I saw this too (M4) but on Friday morning, quite bizarre site and had to look twice on my return trip and there was definitely no guards in one car i saw and this was during a two hour period! I saw this car at 5.30am which suggests it had been left there over night?

I have long felt since the intro of these ridiculous speed detection vans that the traffic corps has gone into hiding or been redeployed. During the bad cold spell prior to Christmas there was at least four traffic corps vehicles parked up at Tullamore Garda station and there they remained for over two weeks with a light dusting of snow.

Then predictably at the start of the year (tax renewal dates) they seemed to be all over the place but mainly on motorways,they seemed to have abandoned secondary routes!

amacachi

LOL, calling the Gardaí about someone breaking the law, you guys crack me up. :pac:

niloc1951

esel wrote: »

It would seem to me to be a cost-effective use of end-of-life Garda cars that might be worthless at auction for whatever reason. Drop them off in the small hours; move them regularly.... a lot more effective than timber cut-outs, anyway.

Perhaps the 'Force' was getting the last bit of use from NCT failures :D