A village has been warned to look out for a 'garda impersonating duo' after a sketchy incident in the area left residents extremely concerned.
People on the Mayo-Roscommon border of Ballaghaderreen have been urged to report any suspicious activity similar to this after reports that two men were spotted pretending to be members of the force on Thursday afternoon.
The pair were seen leaving the area after about 4pm after hopping into an old saloon car which had no garda writing on it and was understood to be too old to be an undercover car.
A text alert to residents in the area advised the public to "be aware and cautious at all times" and to report any sightings to local gardai who are aware of the incident.
Eye-witnesses say that one of the men was wearing a blue garda jacket that belongs to the old garda uniform, while the other was wearing just a plain high vis jacket.
Under Section 60 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005, "a person is guilty of an offence if he or she impersonates a member of the Garda Siochana, or makes any statement or does any act calculated falsely to suggest that he or she is such a member. A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding EUR3,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both, or on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding EUR50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or both."
A garda spokesman said: "Recent incidents of this type involve the conmen requesting to check cash held by (those targeted) as a result of an increase in counterfeit cash circulating in the area, or that the conmen need to check the security of the house as a result of an increase in burglaries in the area. Gardai will not cold call to a house and request to do either of these."
"An Garda Siochana wishes to remind the public that any Garda member calling to your door will have identification. Should you have any concerns about the person at the door, you should not answer the door even if they are purporting to be a Garda. Genuine Gardai will always provide details to allow you to confirm their identity with the local Garda Station and will be patient while you choose to do so."
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