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Gardaí removing a vehicle for forensic inspection. Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

Gardaí have spent €20 million on private tow truck firms since 2012

Gardaí say it’s the price to pay for good police work.

GARDAÍ HAVE SPENT €19.56 million on hiring private companies to provide tow trucks services since 2012, TheJournal.ie has learned.

Gardaí hire private towing operators to assist with the removal of cars to a pound for a number of reasons including for inspections as a result of an accident.

Towing also occurs when vehicles are seized under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act or where the driver has no insurance, no tax for over three months or the driver is under age. 

The amount of money spent on towing has also increased significantly in recent years. 

In 2012, €2,439,120 was spent on the services. Last year, it cost over €4 million. 

€348, 344 has so far been spent this year. If this rate were to continue, it would mean that over €4.2 million will be spent on this service by the end of 2019. 

Some frontline gardaí familiar with the working of this operation are perplexed that management doesn’t just buy a number of towing vehicles and train a number of members to use them – thus saving the force millions every year.   

But others see the rising cost of towing as a symptom of the good work done by officers. The more vehicle seizures gardaí make, the more there is a need for tow truck services.

The average cost of one towing service is roughly €70. On average, this means that 1,100 cars were towed per week in 2018.

TOWING The breakdown of the figures. Garda Garda

These latest figures come as garda management continues to fight overspending in the force. 

Late last year, it emerged that all overtime was suspended, except in certain circumstances – like for court hearings – in an attempt to correct the garda budget by 30% before the end of 2018.

It is the spending on services such as towing where middle-ranking gardaí feel there is significant savings to be made. Rank and file officers believe savings in these administrative areas could see the return of more overtime hours.

As things stand, supervisors have been told not to approve overtime for frontline staff, except under exceptional circumstances.

The Garda Press Office has been contacted for comment.

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:10 AM

    I really don’t understand this average 3 million a year to tow some one else’s car ? Shouldn’t the owner of the cars pay?

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    Mute Deaglan Macgiollaphadraig
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:15 AM

    @Colette Kearns: they do!
    It’s a shite article.

    389
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    Mute COYBIG
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:17 AM

    @Colette Kearns: I suppose for cars that are towed for being parked illegally/ illegal to drive, that fee is included in the release fee. I assume they’re still operating at a loss though since as far as I know the release fee in Dublin is €80 if you pay straight away.

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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Feb 17th 2019, 3:28 AM

    @Colette Kearns: many people refuse to pay and abandon the vehicle.

    20
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    Mute Mumpsimus
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    Feb 17th 2019, 4:53 AM

    @Chin Feeyin: well sell the thing then. Recoup the cost

    27
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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Feb 17th 2019, 8:34 AM

    @Mumpsimus: they do.

    20
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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:20 AM

    @Chin Feeyin: where ?

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    Mute Seamus Murphy
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    Feb 17th 2019, 10:52 AM

    @Deaglan Macgiollaphadraig: dead right! The only time the owner doesn’t pay is if they don’t come back for the car.

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    Mute Seamus Murphy
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    Feb 17th 2019, 10:54 AM

    @Dominic Leleu: they sell it to a car dismantler. But he probably charges nearly the scrap price just to pick it up.

    3
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    Mute Ronan Dunne
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:19 AM

    Loads of bollo there . I had a vehicle stolen – recovered- and I paid to have it towed .. just where are these 12 yr old journalists in the ” journal ” getting their false information from ?? The mind boggles

    239
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    Mute Ronan Dunne
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:39 AM

    @Ronan Dunne: by the way ..most of the towing companies are run by ex – guards .. If not all .. it’s a money spinner for them

    152
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    Mute Seamus ó Corcoráin
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    Feb 17th 2019, 4:57 AM

    @Ronan Dunne: Nonsense. I know five companies involved in the job since 1996, none are ex cops, none have family who are current or ex cops. They are all mechanics though…

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    Mute superdooper
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    Feb 17th 2019, 5:15 AM

    @Seamus ó Corcoráin: stop it now you’re getting in the way of a good conspiracy

    86
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    Mute Figo murphy
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    Feb 17th 2019, 8:40 AM

    @Ronan Dunne: It’s irrelevant who’s paying for it. The fact is €3m a year is being paid to private company’s to tow cars. If the Gardai had they’re own trucks the money would be kept.
    Wake up man.

    12
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    Mute Patrick Nolan
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:03 AM

    @Figo murphy:
    If the Gardai had their own it would probably cost 6 million

    54
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    Mute Mark O Brien
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:04 AM

    @Figo murphy: That probably wouldnt be the case. If the Gardai had their own fleet of tow trucks then they would need at least one for every 2 counties and more for the big cities to cover the workload. Or it would be under resourced and they would get private companies to take up the shortfall. That would cost way more. And the final figure isnt known as it doesnt take into account how much is clawed back from people paying to get their cars back however small an amount that is.

    23
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    Mute Seán de Búrca
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:21 AM

    Ye really are some sad bunch of individuals. Where’s the headline here? The Guards have used third parties to tow cars for no insurance, NCT etc. Try to find some actual news for Christ sake!

    178
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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Feb 17th 2019, 3:56 AM

    @Seán de Búrca: forget the towing lark
    If the discs are not up to date get the mobile crusher truck to sort it on site

    Your car your business to hand all valid paperwork up to date

    17
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    Mute Jack Crabbe
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:03 AM

    @Quentin Moriarty: stupid comment

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    Mute Seamus Murphy
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    Feb 17th 2019, 10:56 AM

    @Jack Crabbe: why is it a stupid comment? It’s done that way in the U.K. for years and it works very well.

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:32 PM

    @Seamus Murphy: No. They haven’t done that for years. They never do that. Mobile crusher ? lol…

    4
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    Mute Corb John
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:32 PM

    @Quentin Moriarty:
    Bit Totalitarian there.
    Garda generally exercise a fair degree of restraint in this matters and balance what’s going on in individual situations against the powers they have.
    When they seize it is because of serious pre-meditated violation of the law which the owner has not shown genuine intent to remedy.

    4
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    Mute soussvide
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:29 AM

    My car was stolen a couple a couple of years ago and found crashed near an “under developed area”. The Gardai took it for “TE” (technical examination) and said I could collect it in a few days, when I turned up a few days later I was told it was moved to a scrap yard (without my knowledge or consent which is in itself theft). When I went to the scrap yard I was then charged a weeks “storage”.
    The car was only there for a couple of days.
    Why was it moved?
    Why did I have to pay? (adding insult to injury)
    And who stole my car the second time?

    104
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    Mute Clarissa
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    Feb 17th 2019, 1:22 AM

    @soussvide: Dude where’s my car?

    63
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    Mute Dermot Quinn
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    Feb 17th 2019, 3:06 AM

    @soussvide: For a start it wasn’t theft. The fact that you got charged storage was down to your insurer who should have insisted the gardai pay for it which they would have had they dug in.

    35
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    Mute RadioTerry
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:58 AM

    Funny that the biggest ‘supplier’ of tow services in the same period is a company owned by an ex-Garda.

    48
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    Mute Martin Gordon
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:57 AM

    @RadioTerry: so?

    8
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    Mute Larry Brophy
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:17 AM

    4,057,008 divided by 70 is nearly 60,000, not 1,100.

    34
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    Mute COYBIG
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:19 AM

    @Larry Brophy: Yeah 1,100 X 70 is 77,000… Bitta proofing wouldn’t go amiss

    28
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    Mute Larry Brophy
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:19 AM

    @Larry Brophy: but it would be 1,100 a week!!

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    Mute Dan
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:19 AM

    @Larry Brophy: 100% correct. Looks like article has now been updated

    3
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    Mute Corb John
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:39 PM

    @Larry Brophy:
    x 52 weeks in a year.

    1
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    Mute tommytukamomo
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    Feb 17th 2019, 8:54 AM

    If the Garda impound a car it costs the owner quite a lot to release it and if it’s not claimed it’s sold for scrap or auctioned off to cover the costs.
    If €20 million was spent then at least most (if not more) was returned.
    I really wish the journalistic standards were raised to give the full story.

    29
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    Mute Andrew Byrne
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    Feb 17th 2019, 2:50 AM

    I believe there is an incentive for Garda to call a certain recovery agent as a reward

    19
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    Mute Joe Bloggs
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    Feb 17th 2019, 4:16 AM

    @Andrew Byrne: You believe wrong. Gardaí use whichever company has the contract for that division, they have no choice in who they use & get nothing out of it. Tow contracts go out to public tender.

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    Mute Martin Gordon
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:57 AM

    @Andrew Byrne: spoofer

    21
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    Mute Kerrie Roche
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:19 AM

    Speechless…surly recoup money from owners ?

    20
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    Mute Sean Treacy
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    Feb 17th 2019, 2:08 AM

    So what ?

    18
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    Mute YouCantHandleTruth
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:21 AM

    Stop sizing cars problem solved

    17
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    Mute John
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    Feb 17th 2019, 12:53 AM

    @YouCantHandleTruth: stop making stupid comments.problem solved.

    103
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    Mute Sean Hanley
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    Feb 17th 2019, 7:55 AM

    This does not come from the Gardaí budget like it is suggested from this fact lacking article, the cost is passed on to the vehicle owner. Just think of how much revenue all these seizures bring in on fines !!

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    Mute Tomas
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    Feb 17th 2019, 1:44 AM
    12
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    Mute RO'S
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    Feb 17th 2019, 8:46 AM

    And if the guards or state hax their own trucks that figure would probably be 4 times that and you would probably need to wait a month to get a tow.

    12
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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Feb 17th 2019, 3:33 AM

    Wasn’t there an article a couple of months stating the tow service had been put out to tender?

    So, it’s probably still in process.

    9
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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Feb 17th 2019, 10:11 AM

    @Chin Feeyin: Here it is:

    “Gardaí to spend €250k a year for a ‘vehicle recovery service’
    A tender was issued earlier this month for a nationwide recovery service in a contract worth €1 million. ”

    https://www.thejournal.ie/garda-tender-vehicles-4391333-Dec2018/

    Tender issued in December. Still being processed.

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    Mute Tomas
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    Feb 17th 2019, 3:31 AM

    Follow the money ..

    7
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    Mute Mick12
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    Feb 17th 2019, 7:19 AM

    Why can’t they buy their own tow trucks?

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Feb 17th 2019, 8:07 AM

    @Mick12: why would they do that?

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    Mute The Irish Bull
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:31 AM

    Fishy

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    Mute Jack Crabbe
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    Feb 17th 2019, 9:01 AM

    All about the overtime.

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    Mute John Swan
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    Feb 17th 2019, 11:17 AM

    @Jack Crabbe: what overtime exactly?

    8
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