Gardai's rap for 'shocking demotivation

Review finds some road cops are ‘unproductive’ and ‘disinterested’

- BY CATE MCCURRY and DAVID YOUNG

SOME gardai tasked with roads policing duties are "unproductive" and appear "demotivated and unconcerned" with doing an effective, professional job, a new report has found.

While the independent review of Roads Policing found that a majority of Garda members involved in the work were productive and professional, it highlighted issues with poor productivity and behaviour among a “noticeable” minority.

The Crowe Report said members who were “disinterested” in the job were able to “get away with such behaviour”, to the “frustration” of their colleagues, supervisors and managers.

This included Roads Policing Unit members completing entire shifts without a single detection made or fixed charge notice issued.

Some of those working alone were alleged to “routinely park the patrol car out of sight and deliberately avoid doing any productive work for part or all of their shift”.

Others were so disinterested, their Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment was switched off or not functioning properly.