Gardaí ‘in the back seat on technology’

Force’s cars so low-tech it’s a wonder they solve any crime at all

THIS picture of the inside of a Garda patrol car shows the lack of crime-fighting technology gardaí have at their fingertips.

There is no onboard computer, GPS system, ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) software or camera – all of which are standard in police cars around the globe. Instead, the only piece of technology standard to Garda patrol cars is a radio.

‘Your picture covers it. A radio, that’s it,’ a source told the Irish Mail on Sunday. ‘Our former commissioner said it herself – we are at

‘At least 20 years behind in terms of technology’

least 20 years behind in terms of technology.’

Sources told the MoS that, while police forces in ‘most other countries have the technology that puts the officer in the driving seat’, gardaí are blindly responding to calls.

‘Most countries have computer terminals, dispatch information for calls, satellite navigation, camera equipment, phones and some have systems that detect activated trackers on stolen vehicles.

‘We don’t have details of the call, who phoned it in, how old is it… basic information.’

The MoS recently revealed how the Future Of Policing In Ireland report, chaired by former US police chief Kathleen O’Toole, suggested replacing smaller Garda stations with ‘mobile units’. But for mobile units to be effective they have to be able to act as field offices as they do in other jurisdictions. Sources said this is impossible in standard patrol cars.

‘Smart policing is said to be the way forward. But we have nothing. All this talk of Garda services using Eircode to find you is a lie. They’re too mean to invest in existing technology. Take Live Scan [electronic] fingerprinting. It has been around since 1989, but the gardaí still use ink and paper.’

Another source told how Ireland has ‘never’ invested in smart policing. ‘It is the cheapest tender in everything that is chosen. By the time we get anything here, it is obsolete in other countries.

‘Those on patrol need real-time intelligence on highly mobile criminals who change vehicles regularly. But here we are expected to work with nothing.’

There have been moves to upgrade Garda technology – but they have been tentative. Last year the southern region was brought onto the new Garda Computer Aided Dispatch system and it is also being used across Dublin. However, CAD will not be fully rolled out across the country until next year. It is hoped the system will resolve boundary problems in rural areas, where the nearest officers are not always dispatched.

Last year Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the number of patrol cars fitted with ANPR – which ‘scans every number plate and pings if there is an alert on a vehicle’ – was 99, including 89 traffic corp cars. This is down from the 103 cars fitted with the technology in 2016.

‘ANPR is invaluable,’ said a source. ‘So the one piece of equipment we did have is being used less. We have nothing.’