Storage of towed cars costs gardaí ¤8m yearly

It rose by €4m in two years

IT’ costs the gardaí more than €8million a year to stow towed cars – and it’s eating into the finances of the force, an shocking new internal audit has shown.

The probe carried out last year revealed that the force suffered a deficit of €20million between 2016 and 2018, largely as a result of not being able to recover charges from motorists.

The Garda Internal Audit Service report said the failure meant the annual loss increased by 70% from

€4.9million in 2016 to €8.3million just two years later.

In 2018, the total cost to tow and keep cars was almost €10.4million, but motorists were hit for just over €2million. ‘If this trend is to continue it would have a significant negative financial impact upon the resources of An Garda Síochána which would not be in compliance with the public service concept of value for money,’ it added.

About 2,500 vehicles, on average, are taken by gardaí every month, from motorists suspected of driving over the alcohol limit or having either no licence or insurance.

Drivers have to pay €125 to recover their vehicle and €35 for every 24-hour period it remains in storage after the first day.

However, there is no charge if the car had insurance, tax and a valid NCT cert at the time they were stopped; or if the car was used without the permission of the owner. The audit said towing services should be provided on a costneutral basis but it noted that the rates for such services – set by Department of Transport – have not increased since 2011.

Most of the cost was linked to storing vehicles, which accounted for 61% of the total.

Cars cannot be disposed of before six weeks from the date of seizure, or two weeks after notifying the owner of its intended disposal, whichever is the longer.

The audit found there was no ‘business owner’ within An Garda Síochána to ensure effective governance and oversight of contracts with providers of vehicle towing and storage services.

It claimed gardaí would need ancillary management and support services to manage the issue.

The audit examined 13 out of 24 contracts with providers of towing and storage services, and ten showed significant compliance. It revealed gardaí also spent €323,000 on disposal of end-of-life vehicles between 2016 and 2018.

The audit said gardaí should charge contractors for disposal of such vehicles.

In response to the audit, Garda management said it could not understand how vehicles seized outside of Section 41 could be detained on a cost-neutral basis when they had no income stream.

Gardaí said the responsibility for governance and management of the issue had been allocated to the assistant commissioner.

It costs €35 a day for motorists