New Garda vehicles cost Irish taxpayers €16.8million last year – the highest spend in 14 years.
The Irish Sunday Mirror has learned through FOI that 454 vehicles were purchased comprising 403 cars, 35 vans, four 4x4 and 12 motorbikes. Last year’s vehicle purchase was the highest amount since figures were first recorded in 2008 and double the 2021 figure of €8,082,427.
The €16.8million total beat the 2020 figure of €16million when the force is believed to have invested in new vehicles for during the pandemic. When it comes to the amount spent on the maintenance, fuel, tyres and towing of Garda vehicles, records show €20.4million was spent in 2021.
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As of last year, 1,256 vehicles were being used by gardai members which were six years or older, accounting for more than a third of the overall figure of 3,312 in use. Cork City District had the most vehicles at its disposal with 107 of the 2,517 marked and unmarked cars in use,
The Dublin Metropolitan Area North had 94 and DMR West had 90. The DMR Traffic Division had the lowest number of cars available with 19 followed by Clare with 34.
And when it comes to motorbikes, of the 129 in use around the country, the highest number in one area was in DMR Traffic at Dublin Castle with 36. Garda vans appeared to be most in use in the Galway Division
with 24 compared to just eight in Wexford. At the end of 2022, 210 vehicles were removed from the fleet, with the month of September seeing the highest number taken off the roads at 44.
Of the 3,332 vehicles being used by officers last year, 2,839, or 85.7 per cent, were diesel and just 42 (1.3 per cent) were electric. A further 43, or 1.3%, were hybrid unleaded and 13, 0.4%, were plug-in hybrid.
And when it comes to the preferred model of vehicle in use, 1,622 were Hyundai, 488 were Ford, 162 were BMW and 97 were Audi.
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