will gardai investigate a car scratch from car park

sim1yoyo

Title self explanatory. Pretty sure the answer is no, they have way better things to be doing than investigating a bumper scratch. Just wondering does anyone have an experience to the contrary?

BaronVon

They will investigate offences. How big is the scratch? Is it the type that someone would do inadvertently, or a massive scratch that there is no way the other driver could have caused without being aware of it?

seamus

You can report to them that someone hit your car and drove off without leaving any info. They'll go down to the location and ask to see the CCTV if there is any.

Unless someone gave your car a proper whack though, that's about all they're going to do. If it's a scuffed or scraped bumper, it may not have even happened in that car park.

ohnonotgmail

seamus wrote: »

You can report to them that someone hit your car and drove off without leaving any info. They'll go down to the location and ask to see the CCTV if there is any.

Unless someone gave your car a proper whack though, that's about all they're going to do. If it's a scuffed or scraped bumper, it may not have even happened in that car park.

You will be lucky if they even do that. I cant remember whether it was here or the motors forum but a guy had the catalytic convertor stolen from his car while it was in a car park with CCTV. the guards did nothing. Too low value for them to be concerned with it.

nuac

The old Latin saying is often applied to these matters - De minimis non curat lex ( The law does not concern itself with trifling matters ).
However modern bumpers etc come as plastic units that are expensive to replace

Peregrinus

nuac wrote: »

The old Latin saying is often applied to these matters - De minimis non curat lex ( The law does not concern itself with trifling matters ).
However modern bumpers etc come as plastic units that are expensive to replace

The expense of replacing the bumper is not the issue here, as far as the guards are concerned. Has a crime been committed? They investigate crimes; they don't provide an investigative/advisory service for citizens with potential civil claims against one another.

seagull

Leaving the scene of an accident would be a crime.

GM228

seagull wrote: »

Leaving the scene of an accident would be a crime.

Not for damage to the vehicle and no one else is present.

NUTLEY BOY

seagull wrote: »

Leaving the scene of an accident would be a crime.

If the car park was not a public place within the meaning of the RTAs would that even be an offence ?

stoneill

Peregrinus wrote: »

The expense of replacing the bumper is not the issue here, as far as the guards are concerned. Has a crime been committed? They investigate crimes; they don't provide an investigative/advisory service for citizens with potential civil claims against one another.

Little dings and bumps in your car - that's an insurance issue, not a garda issue.

GM228

NUTLEY BOY wrote: »

If the car park was not a public place within the meaning of the RTAs would that even be an offence ?

Offences relating to incidents and the duties conferred on owners of vehicles applies to a public place, but most public car parks (even privately owned ones) fall within the definition of a public place.

Bob24

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

You will be lucky if they even do that. I cant remember whether it was here or the motors forum but a guy had the catalytic convertor stolen from his car while it was in a car park with CCTV. the guards did nothing. Too low value for them to be concerned with it.

Agree. If a police report can be useful to make an insurance claim they’ll issue one. But they won’t investigate anything (unless maybe it is obvious every single car in the car park has been badly and intentionally damaged).