Unmarked Garda car on Northern plate??

Bluehair

Bizarre experience on the way up to Dublin from Monaghan last night on that new stretch of Carrick bypass (single carraigeway, long straight but only 100kph limit).

Was doing 100kph exactly along here when a silver mondeo sped right up my hole, thought 'boy-racer' at first since there was a solid blue tint off the sidelights but then copped the huge ariel on top and the now visable small 'garda' sign hung under his rear view mirror (sign was hard to see but was obviously designed to flash if he'd turned it on).

Stayed about 3 feet from my bumper for a mile or so, then switched the blue side lights to white, pulled out to pass me (with inches to spare) and sped off into the distance. Was very surprised to see a yellow RIL xxx as the reg.

Pissed me off a little as he was clearly trying to goad me into speeding up, there was nothing ahead of me, long straight road and zero neccessity to tailgate me. Anyone else encounted this?

RuggieBear

Maybe they were sinn fein "Gardai"?

dahamsta

Didn't get the boy racer car, but I got caught speeding a good few years ago when a Camry drove right up my ass for a while on a perfectly straight road. I pulled in to let him pass but he just stuck to me, so I sped up to get him off my hole. Needless to say he pulled me shortly afterwards. I hope he dies a slow and painful death.

smashey

Personally, if I was pulled over by the Gardai and they were driving a northern reg. car, I would tell them to go and f**k themselves.

county

thats pretty hard to believe

Skyuser

smashey wrote:

Personally, if I was pulled over by the Gardai and they were driving a northern reg. car, I would tell them to go and f**k themselves.

I'm sure ya would :rolleyes:

smashey

Skyuser wrote:

I'm sure ya would :rolleyes:

Correct. Living along the border opens your eyes to a whole lot of things.

Corben Dallas

Not a garda vehicle.

Longrangedriver

Bluehair wrote:

Bizarre experience on the way up to Dublin from Monaghan last night on that new stretch of Carrick bypass (single carraigeway, long straight but only 100kph limit).

Was doing 100kph exactly along here when a silver mondeo sped right up my hole, thought 'boy-racer' at first since there was a solid blue tint off the sidelights but then copped the huge ariel on top and the now visable small 'garda' sign hung under his rear view mirror (sign was hard to see but was obviously designed to flash if he'd turned it on).

Stayed about 3 feet from my bumper for a mile or so, then switched the blue side lights to white, pulled out to pass me (with inches to spare) and sped off into the distance. Was very surprised to see a yellow RIL xxx as the reg.

Pissed me off a little as he was clearly trying to goad me into speeding up, there was nothing ahead of me, long straight road and zero neccessity to tailgate me. Anyone else encounted this?

I'm not totally surprised at this, as only a while back I was driving from Dundalk to Castleblaney on the N53, when out of nowhere a greenish coloured Mondeo with 'TIB' (Armagh plates), with two occupants appeared behind me, I think from the turn for Crossmaglen. At first It didn't even bother me, being used to seeing alot of northern plates in this area. I drove on and went through Cullaville in South Armagh, and out past here the road goes back to southern roads, were the car was still trailling me. Then they overtook me and as passing me, I peeked slightly towards them and saw two men in dark uniforms. They didn't even make any eye contact towards me, and drove on. At this stage I began to get a bit weary as what I saw in front of me was a possibly green Mondeo with 2-3 ariels on top with two guys in dark uniforms. I kept back from the car and let them take off, and when got to the site I was visiting in Castleblaney, I mentioned this to the customer, and he said that its been reported a lot in these areas where northern (mainly) and southern cops would travel continuously through the county borders, as roads go from north to south.

Anan1

smashey wrote:

Personally, if I was pulled over by the Gardai and they were driving a northern reg. car, I would tell them to go and f**k themselves.

On what grounds? A Guard is a Guard, regardless of what car they're driving.

Skyuser

This is the way forward. We need unmarked cars all over the country keeping near cars to track their speed and then BAM! on with the blue lights...2 penalty points... badda bing badda bo !!
Little sh!ts that can't even see over the wheel won't be speeding around in 'tarted up cars' [lmao, Pat Kenny's name for modified cars]

Longrangedriver

smashey wrote:

Personally, if I was pulled over by the Gardai and they were driving a northern reg. car, I would tell them to go and f**k themselves.

F-that, unless your mad, why would anyone stop for a 'Garda' in northern colours, my life is worth more than 2 penalty points or a misunderstanding.

Personally I would get on the blower, dial 999 and ask questions, if I had the time to think about it that is, as you here too many reports of incidents were fake unmarked cars are used to loure someone from they're car or truck.

smashey

Anan1 wrote:

On what grounds? A Guard is a Guard, regardless of what car they're driving.

Did you ever think of the possibility that all official Gardai vehicles would have to be supplied by the State and registered here?

jetsonx

Bluehair wrote:

Pissed me off a little as he was clearly trying to goad me into speeding up, there was nothing ahead of me,

I have heard two previous cases on the M50 where drivers are goaded into
driving faster by an unmarked garda car driving IN FRONT of them and then accelerating...wanting the victim to emulate them....cunning little tricks our force play - the devil makes work for idle hands as they say!

as for unmarked cars, in Dublin they are now using TAXIS

Anan1

smashey wrote:

Did you ever think of the possibility that all official Gardai vehicles would have to be supplied by the State and registered here?

We all know that. Did you ever think of the possibility that Guards mightn't always drive official Garda vehicles?

smashey

Anan1 wrote:

We all know that. Did you ever think of the possibility that Guards mightn't always drive official Garda vehicles?

Maybe, but i'm pretty sure the right solicitor would have something to say about it.

Guy:Incognito

Yeah I'd like to see the gard try to prove he isnt living/earning in the state. Maybe Bertie should look into the wonderful world of northern reg car driving.

Stephen

If some 'garda' in an unmarked car tries to pull me over or anything, I ain't f**king stopping. They could be anyone. They can call a marked squad car if they want.

Victor

I saw two lads being arrested yesterday and put into the back of a Fiat Punto.

RuggieBear wrote:

Maybe they were sinn fein "Gardai"?

You mean the "nothing squad" (it used to be "nutting squad").

jetsonx wrote:

as for unmarked cars, in Dublin they are now using TAXIS

I think that was for getting office based staff to site, not for patrolling.

jimmycrackcorm

I doubt you could get a conviction for failing to stop for a northern registered "garda" car.

RainyDay

jetsonx wrote:

I have heard two previous cases on the M50 where drivers are goaded into
driving faster by an unmarked garda car driving IN FRONT of them and then accelerating...wanting the victim to emulate them....

This sounds like a shaggy dog story. Is having a car accelerate in from of you such a huge temptation?

Tipsy Mac

I had an unmarked Focus drive right up my hole a couple of days ago, I couldn't see his back front wheels in my rear view mirror he was that close, this was on a 50kmh stretch of road and he was clearly trying to put pressure on me to increase speed as the road was wide and clear and he made no attempt to overtake. This kind of thing sickens me and I am sorry now I didn't jam on the breaks and have him test his airbags

Litcagral

Bluehair wrote:

Bizarre experience on the way up to Dublin from Monaghan last night on that new stretch of Carrick bypass (single carraigeway, long straight but only 100kph limit).

Was doing 100kph exactly along here when a silver mondeo sped right up my hole, thought 'boy-racer' at first since there was a solid blue tint off the sidelights but then copped the huge ariel on top and the now visable small 'garda' sign hung under his rear view mirror (sign was hard to see but was obviously designed to flash if he'd turned it on).

Stayed about 3 feet from my bumper for a mile or so, then switched the blue side lights to white, pulled out to pass me (with inches to spare) and sped off into the distance. Was very surprised to see a yellow RIL xxx as the reg.

Pissed me off a little as he was clearly trying to goad me into speeding up, there was nothing ahead of me, long straight road and zero neccessity to tailgate me. Anyone else encounted this?

I was on the M50 a couple of Sunday's ago and I passed a Mondeo which also had Fermanagh registration plates. It caught my attention because it had three antennae, a VHF, a UHF and the standard fitted one. The four male occupants appeared to be wearing PSNI uniforms and there were peaked caps placed in the rear window shelf. (The car was also equipped with TV screens in the rear of the front seat headrests).

While I know that the PSNI occasionally travel to the South for meetings etc., I didn't think they were allowed to do so in uniform.

Skyuser

Litcagral wrote:

The car was also equipped with TV screens in the rear of the front seat headrests

Good for some with their in car entertainment.

Victor

Tipsy Mac wrote:

I couldn't see his back front wheels in my rear view mirror he was that close

Where on the veh-hickle were these back front wheels fitted?

dezine

Victor wrote:

Where on the veh-hickle were these back front wheels fitted?

on the back front of course..

prospect

Jeepers, there's plenty of azzholes on the roads bombing around, lane hopping, tailgating, using bus lanes and driving dangerously without the Gardai having to try and force somebody into breaking the speed limit.
Some day they will be up the wrong persons rear bumper and they will lash on the brakes and the Press will have a field day on it......

"Unmarked Gardai rear-end innocent motorist while trying to bully him into breaking the speed limit"

_Kaiser_

Tipsy Mac wrote:

I had an unmarked Focus drive right up my hole a couple of days ago, I couldn't see his back front wheels in my rear view mirror he was that close, this was on a 50kmh stretch of road and he was clearly trying to put pressure on me to increase speed as the road was wide and clear and he made no attempt to overtake. This kind of thing sickens me and I am sorry now I didn't jam on the breaks and have him test his airbags

Someone here recently wondered aloud if it'd be a good idea to have cameras fitted to his car front and rear..

If the boys and girls in blue are pulling stunts like this now to meet their quotas then it'd definitely be worth doing. I'd say you'd have a good case to get THEM done for dangerous driving if you played back the tape.

Wouldn't this whole goading/pressuring you to speed up tactic fall under entrapment anyway?

ambro25

Tipsy Mac wrote:

I had an unmarked Focus drive right up my hole a couple of days ago, (etc)

Was it red and a saloon-shape, instead of the usual hatch-shape?

Kermitt

AFAIK, you have the right to call the gardaí and check if an unmarked car is legit before you pull over and jump out. Think there was a case about this a few years ago where a guy was carjacked by two lads posing as special branch gardaí

Tipsy Mac

ambro25 wrote:

Was it red and a saloon-shape, instead of the usual hatch-shape?

Yes with a 2004 Dublin reg.