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AN OPERATION TARGETING the fraudulent use of disabled parking permits has resulted in the prosecution of dozens of people – including a number of motorists who were using permits belonging to their deceased parents.
Operation Enable was launched in March last year and in the first 12 months 80 people in total were prosecuted and fined. Although the crackdown initially focused on Dublin’s city centre, it has now spread across the country, with enforcement days in a number of other counties.
The idea for the operation was conceived by Sergeant Peter Woods and overseen by Superintendent Tom Murphy who heads up Roads Policing for the Dublin Metropolitan Region.
Sergeant Woods said he came up with the idea after a conversation with a motorists who had a disability about the issues they encountered when trying to find accessible parking in Dublin.
“The response has been absolutely phenomenal, from day one it really seems to have struck a chord with people. I get regular correspondence from people telling me about permit abuse – one time an elderly gentleman arrived at Dublin Castle clutching an Evening Herald with an article about the operation and said he wanted to speak to me about a neighbour who was misusing his son’s permit,” he told TheJournal.ie.
“It’s not really something something that you could be against, but people still do it.
“I’ve had 25 years of policing in the city centre at this stage and I didn’t think much would shock me but we’ve come across some really shocking instances of permit misuse like people using permits belonging to dead people.”
Last week one of my guys seized a permit that clampers alerted us to. The permit expired five years ago and the permit holder had been dead for six years. The motorist told the clampers that the permit holder was in the shop around the corner – they’d been dead for six years. We come across quite a few instances of permits being used that belonged to dead people.
An Garda Síochána / TwitterDMR Roads Policing Unit – This motorist using this expired permit said they were waiting for the permit holder...who was in a nearby shop. Our enquiries revealed that the holder was actually deceased! Permit seized and €150 fine issued #OperationEnable pic.twitter.com/buNOW8K6R2
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) August 13, 2018
He said he has seen cases where multiple permits have been reissued to family members of deceased persons, but he said the two associations that issue the permits have strengthened their policies in the last year to try to prevent this.
Woods said gardaí have also seized photocopies of permits from drivers and have identified people using their grandparents’ permits so they can park in the city centre for free all day while they are in work.
An Garda Síochána / Twitter‘Dublin Roads Policing: This motorist was found parked in a disabled bay using a permit that expired two years ago, belonging to a relative who isn’t even resident in this country anymore! Permit seized, €150 fine issued. #OperationEnable pic.twitter.com/PmTaP21FpK
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) August 4, 2018
He said there is a heightened awareness about the issue among members of the public now, helped by the promotion of the operation on social media.
“Any detections we had we put them on the garda traffic Twitter account, which has over 400,000 followers and that’s been instrumental in spreading the word to the public and my colleagues in other garda stations, so it snowballed around the country and other garda regions have had similar operations,” he said.
An Garda Síochána / TwitterMake Galway Great again! This vehicle was parked in a disabled bay. Displaying disable permit from America. Tax & NCT expired over a year. Driver arrived just on time to see vehicle on tow truck #Operationenable pic.twitter.com/ugTWfrs3E4
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) August 9, 2018
“The Twitter account is great at using humour, they do some very funny tweets but it gets a serious message across as well and people really respond to it.”
An Garda Síochána / TwitterDublin city – A magnificent looking vehicle like this will draw attention wherever it goes, especially when it’s parked in a disabled bay
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) July 27, 2018
without a permit! Owner returned in time to avoid the tow-truck but will
receive a fixed charge notice for €150 #OperationEnable pic.twitter.com/FXS0Ehn0zR
In March this year, one year on from the launch of the operation, Minister for Transport Shane Ross increased the penalty for parking in a disabled bay without an official permit from €80 to €150.
“I think a lot of that decision was a direct result of Operation Enable,” Woods said.
Sergeant Woods said he has submitted a proposal to Tispol, the European Traffic Police Network, with a view to holding a pan-European day of enforcement in December this year. He and his superintendent will make a presentation at the organisation’s annual conference in October.
“We have managed to get the message out here so much that people are automatically doing it as part of their daily patrols now. It’s in their minds.
“Policing a lot of the time is not rocket science, it’s about really listening to people’s problems and if you have the resources to deal with it, then deal with it.”
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The fine is to little. Give them some community service to go with it.
@B9xiRspG: Give them a three months suspension—-That will quickly bring them into line. It’s a mean offence for mobile people to occupy disabled parking places and leave some poor unfortunate trying to walk where they’re unable!
@B9xiRspG: not as shocking as the tax and insurance drivers pay in this country. Now that’s shocking.
The other day at the hospital the security guy said ‘you can’t park there, it’s for badge holders only’. So I said that’s why I’m here, with my bad shoulder.
@Johnny Rotten: Great story
Great work. I wish the shopping centre security would be as vigilant. I find the spots used a lot of the time are used by parents with babies cos they don’t have a space. Disabled people with a valid badge are the only ones who can use the bay. They actually over rule the mother and baby spots but a lot of people don’t know that.
@shaz: mother and child bays are a waste of time. If you absolutely have to have one they are also in the wrong place. Put them further away from the entrances to shops. It would be safer.
@2thFairy: the whole idea of mother and baby parking is so that they are nearer to the entrance .It’s safer .
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: don’t think it’s quite the whole idea. I’d rather have a wide spot (to get the kids / car seat out comfortably) further away than a regular sized spot close to the entrance
@WCS: I’m a father by the way. I find the term “mother and baby parking” offensive to women
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: but it’s not safer near the entrance. There is far more activity of cars moving around the entrance. Getting kids out of cars is much safer in a quieter part of the car park. There’s usually a lot more room as well to organise buggies and toddlers. Absolutely not necessary to be near the entrance.
@WCS: I doubt women find that term offensive, men probably do though and rightly so ..
@2thFairy: if you are trying to push a shopping trolley and keep an eye on kids then the closer you are to the entrance the better ,otherwise you’re walking through a busy car parking with cars pulling in and out. Parking at the entrance reduces that risk.
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: we will have to agree to disagree. I always parked away from the entrance as the traffic was to dangerous and coping with a trolley and prioritising getting the kids into the car was much easier and safer for me where it is quieter.
@WCS: you’re a pick with an r in it
@Ohhh_reeally: seems a tad gratuitous but whatever floats your boat
@shaz: they should clamp down on people driving out of the parent spots at speed whilst also putting on their seat belt and looking in the back seat. See it every week. How more people arent knocked down at shops is a miracle.
@WCS: I find the term ‘mother and baby parking offensive to children.
@2thFairy: they are near the entrance of shops so you can watch your kids in the car bringing back your trolley
@shaz: I agree with you 100% I asked the Gardai if they would ticket non permit cars and people just lobbing up a disc and walking out of car with no disability the answer was it is private property..
The mall carpark staff have no power over this either as shops don’t want to Upset customers.. it’s a disgrace..
@Sportmad: just because you cant see the disability doesn’t mean they dont have one
This goes beyond being mean and the Gardai are quite right to come down hard and heavy.
Should be a good whack of community service, preferably assisting the genuinely disabled, popped on top of the fine.
Maybe a deep Revenue and Social Welfare investigation should follow as well – in case there is more misrepresentation mischief afoot.
Increase the fine by 4
@Ian James Burgess: €154?
My sister does this,uses my dead father’s card. Says everything u need to know about her
@Vincent: can I have number? The card number like.
@andyearley: I don’t have the number and don’t see her due to a number of issues.
@Vincent: why not contact Social Welfare and seek the card to be cancelled and they seek the card return?
@Joe Hill: The cars is nothing to do with social welfare. The Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disabled Drivers of ireland Association look after it. If you know of a person using one illegally let either of them know about it.
Can’t say I condone it in any way. But there is a lot worse stuff going on out there hardly dramatic news
@FartyTowels: That saying to “Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves” applies.
If people continually get away with a bit here and a bit there then that just encourages them to take the p!ss.
@FartyTowels: I’m going to assume you’ve no mobility issues?
Because I strongly suspect if you did you wouldn’t consider this such a small issue.
@Tricia G: Fair point
It amazes me not only how inconsiderate some people are towards the disabled but how outright lazy they are as well. Is a 30 second longer walk to their destination such a hardship?
Saw a disabled sign in the USA outside a hotel which read.$400 +$100 per minute. No one was parked there.
I’d say our gombeen gov politicians are doing stuff that’s a lot more shocking than this.
@Adrian: maybe so,but does that mean we should let people away with it?
@Adrian: We had a former Mayor from Limerick,who had a picture taken of his car in a disabled bay,he was less than apologetic….
Doesn’t get much lower than using your dead parents disabled parking ticket cause you’re a lazy fecker… Jeez!!
@Mark McGuire: what about dead parents free travel pass. And then trying to claim it was actually theirs when I took it off him
@Mark McGuire: It was left to them in the will.
I thought if you drove a Merc the badge came with it?
@Stevie Doran: no that’s a BMW Haemorrhoid class. Sooner or later every arsehole gets one.
Ive a chronic pain condition. If love a wheelchair badge, but I wont apply as some days I’m fine & i know someone would say to Mme, you fine, you don’t need a badge. Then other days I cant walk 10 feet without agony.
It’s mainly fear of judgements of others why I wont get one.
Some are very aggressive in confronting others if they perceive they aren’t entitled to it.
You never know someone else’s story.
@Louise Ní Riain: apply for the badge, you won’t be obliged to use it on your good days but you’ll have it for your bad days (if you qualify to get one).
@Louise Ní Riain: If you qualify you qualify simple as that. Check and see
It’s sickening, I know a women who used her mothers Permit to park when her mother is not with her , she abuses the fact her mother has one so she keeps it in her car and uses it!!!!!!! #blackjuke #kill
@Justin Hanley: OMG that is so shocking! I totally advocate death for these people. They are literally Hitler like.
@andyearley: I’m with you all the way. This is up there with chemical warfare!
Only confiscation i see are out of date ones… No one had a genuine one confiscated… Thats surely a scam too. People using a genuine one but the car journey has no connection to the original recipient..
@Joe Clery: Sorry Joe you are wrong. If a pass is being used illegally it is pulled.
You can always tell who has parked in these spots when you go into the shop. I was in the queue yesterday and of course it was the fat lazy looking mess with two cans of red bull.
But seeing as this is the Gardaí…are we sure whether these were ‘real’ fake disabled permit users or ‘fake’ fake disabled permit users???
Can we get meatier news articles on the journal?
This topic was covered two weeks ago
@Quentin Moriarty: Is there any chance you’d do up a list of the topics we should be interested in and send it to the 26000 of us who read the article so we’ll know what we should be reading in the future?
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: hop over to the independent.ie and have a look
The doctors who sign off on these are a main factor in the problem. As well as the people who apply for them , not because they are needed, but because they are entitled..
@Joe O’riordan: if you are entitled to one what is wrong with applying. They’ll soon tell you if you’re not. The issue is not with the eligibility of the permit holder but that they allow family to abuse it or that’s it’s abused when they are dead.
My mother has one and it stays with her all the time.
@Joe O’riordan: That is not the way the system works at all. It is stringent and you local GP cannot just sign off on it.
Doesn’t get much lower than using your dead parents disabled parking ticket cause you’re a lazy git… Jeez!!
Parent and child parking is no better, it’s just people without moral standards!
“I’ve had 25 years of policing in the city centre at this stage and I didn’t think much would shock me but we’ve come across some really shocking instances of permit misuse like people using permits belonging to dead people.”
Really, Really? 25 yrs policing Dublin city and someone misusing a parking permit is the most shocking thing you have seen???????
A name and shame site might deter some of these people from illegally parking in disabled spaces
The laziness of some people knows no bounds
The solution is to create more parking spaces for regular motorists, in lieu of double-yellow lines.
@J. Reid: No the solution is for some people not to be selfish.
You have to go to Gardai station now and get them to stamp the back of photos to say it’s yours. Last time I had to wait for an hour in a smelly cop shop to get this done. They only started doing this in the last few years because people were using deceased members photos to renew. Shame on anyone doing this.
@Adrienne Lyons: That’s even harder on disabled people, and all because people who are healthy are using their passes.
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