A member of the Garda Divisional Roads Policing Unit has said that some Gardaí are ‘blowing into breathalyzers themselves’ in order to give the appearance of doing drink driving checks.
In a letter seen by Gript, the Garda says that there is a culture of doing ‘as little as possible’ within the unit and that being a “productive member” led them to experience “intimidation” from higher ups as their work ethic was ‘making others look bad’.
The letter, which was sent to the offices of the Deputy Garda Commissioner, also claims that members of the Traffic Corps routinely avoid giving speeding tickets, fines for unaccompanied drivers or those with no tax/insurance, and even fail to pursue vehicles which set off ANPR (automatic number-plate recognition) alarms.
“Criminals are using the roads everyday and there is almost nobody to stop them,” it says.
“It is very well known in An Garda Síochána that Roads Policing is where people go to retire or to get away from the ‘regular’, to get away from doing work,”
It is also claimed that drink driving checkpoints were put on only on paper to be recorded by the PULSE system but that in some instances there was no physical Garda presence maintained.
“Nobody spoke out about it while it was happening, we were told to just put them on, management could have easily checked but nobody cared as long as it looked good on the returns given to the media or the RSA,”
The member of An Garda Síochána says that a culture of “keeping quiet” -which they say is widespread among the force – led them to ‘hate themselves’.
It is also claimed that many members of An Garda Síochána, while well intentioned, “fall into line” as this is easier than “suffering the punishment” for speaking out within the force.
The Garda says that while they do not wish to expose their identity and become a whistle blower that they might “resign in disgust at what I have become,”
They say this became all the more clear to them after they encountered a lady who had lost her child in a road traffic accident and received her praise for their ‘hard work’. .
“I felt terrible if only she knew how little An Garda Síochána cares about road safety and the memory of her child,” it says.
The letter says that there is ample evidence to support the claims but that as yet this does not appear to have been picked up on by Senior Garda Management, the RSA, or the Policing Authority,
An Garda Síochána told Gript they are “making enquiries” into the matter and “hope to revert with a response in due course”.