Large scale changes are under consideration in the wake of high-profile errors in relation to convictions for traffic offences and alcohol breath tests.
Senior Garda management are considering replacing the Garda Traffic Corps in its current form as part of an overhaul following recent controversies over wrongful traffic convictions and discrepancies in the figures relating to the number of drink-driving tests carried out in the last five years.
According to a report in the Irish Times, proposals are under consideration that would see members of An Garda Síochána serve a two-year period in a slimmed down Garda Traffic Corps and then move onto other positions in the force.
New Garda recruits, meanwhile, would spend a 10-week period working on the roads to gather experience, while a small number of Gardaí (approximately 10-20 per cent) would serve longer than a two-year period in the Traffic Corps to provide continuity and supervision for incoming members.
The Irish Times report suggests that not only would the size of the Garda Traffic Corps be reduced as a result of the overhaul (to approximately 600 members, it numbered approximately 1,200 at its peak), its name and the nature of its duties would also be subject to change.
The new unit, for example, would rely on ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology to intercept criminal gangs, one source told the paper, and there would be a move away from a dependency on speed checks, checkpoints and breath-testing as a yardstick of activity.
The proposals are only under consideration for the time being, but the Garda Traffic Corps as we know it could be a lot different in the near future.
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