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Forensic Collision Investigator Chris O'Mara said the unit is desperately understaffed. EOGHAN DALTON/THE JOURNAL

'Huge shortage' in specialist Garda unit for serious road crashes leaving it 'snowed under'

The Forensic Collision Investigators unit has 11 qualified members when the minimum recommended number is for 24.

A SPECIALIST GARDA unit to examine road crashes is suffering a “huge shortage” of personnel, leaving it “snowed under” amid a rise in traffic incidents across Ireland.

The annual conference for rank and file gardaí heard that it has also meant investigators are “potentially losing evidence” as they may have arrived to the scene of a crash the day after it happened, with weather among the issues affecting the scene.

The Forensic Collision Investigators unit is not even at half strength, with 11 qualified members when the minimum recommended number is for 24.

At its annual conference in Killarney, the Garda Representatives Association (GRA) union voted overwhelmingly to call on the Garda Commissioner to urgently address the shortage in Forensic Collision Investigators nationwide.

A total of 54 people have died on Irish roads so far this year.

The motion also seeks for An Garda Síochána to draft a policy to “ensure the highest standards are maintained in fatal collision and life altering” collision investigations.

The Garda body conference heard that a recruitment campaign “collapsed” late last year, with one serving Garda who went through the process blasting it as “shambolic”.

Tipperary-based Forensic Collision Investigator Chris O’Mara told The Journal that it has become increasingly common for him and his colleagues in the region to have to travel to as far as Donegal to respond to fatal and serious crashes to plug the gap.

He said he has found himself needing to get on the road at 3am to make it to the scene of a crash some 250km away, often on roads that must remain closed until the forensic work has taken place.

“We’re one of the few areas in the Garda Síochána that’s seeking more oversight,” O’Mara said.

“We want more management. The senior National Forensic collision investigator, that role has been vacant since he resigned in 2023. So for more than two years now, we’ve had no senior forensic collision investigator in the country.

“It’s a very simple fix this,” O’Mara said. “We’re calling for proper numbers of specifically trained and qualified experts that can do it.”

Recruitment process hadn’t met standards

The conference heard that Garda management sent a brief note to applicants on 23 December last to tell them that the competition “hadn’t met standards” and been stopped.

Asked for comment, the Garda Press Office said that a preliminary process is currently underway prior to “announcing a new competition” for Forensic Collision Investigators in the near future.

Shane Bonner, a Garda serving in the traffic unit of Dublin South Central, proposed the motion at the GRA conference. He told reporters that he brought the motion forward as he felt that gardaí are “not doing the best that we can” when it comes to serious collisions.

Bonner said this means that following a fatal accident, people are left “waiting for answers” but the “workload is so heavy” that it’s causing delays to the reports produced on serious road incidents.

gra-47th-annual-delegate-conference-it-was-a-job-worth-doing-killarney-garda-representative-association Garda Shane Bonner brought the motion to the GRA conference in Co Kerry. CONOR Ó MEARÁIN CONOR Ó MEARÁIN

“We’re seeing a huge shortage of FCIs, the forensic collision investigators. People are waiting for answers,” he said.

He further pointed the finger at senior Garda management, saying they were responsible for the “failure” in staffing the forensic collision investigators unit.

“We’re potentially losing evidence, we’re leaving scenes closed for longer,” Bonner said.

He said this could impact on personal injury cases as people who suffer “traumatic” injuries may find their claims affected by the delays as well.

“We’re not doing the best that we can, we aren’t giving the service that we need to be giving,” Bonner said.

“One member last year did 18 fatal accidents, the recommended number is five to six in a year,” Bonner continued.

“So he has three times the workload. How do you produce proper files and proper investigations, to the coroners court, to the family, to everyone that deserves the proper information,” Bonner said.

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    Mute KO
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    Apr 29th 2025, 7:26 PM

    Is this a suprise to anyone ?

    171
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    Mute Dogg
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:08 PM

    The sign of a good government is not what it can do abroad, it’s the conditions of its own people at home that show it can get its own house in order. At the moment there is a lot of discontent among its people. We currently have the two main parties working in unison and the unrest among the people hasn’t been seen since the civil war. MM said he didn’t accept the criticism from the protestors because he feels we are in a better place than ever before and I believe he is in denial with that statement and that’s scary. Tis worrying times for our little country and its great people.

    146
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    Mute jn
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    Apr 29th 2025, 7:39 PM

    end of road is near for ffg the wheels have fallen off every can their kicking down the road at this stage,local Irish are emigrating in droves, as local big town in munster absolutely flooded with non Irish shocked yesterday

    167
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    Mute MN
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    Apr 29th 2025, 7:56 PM

    Not just road units but they’re the ones who rake in the dollars

    95
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    Mute liam hehir
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:14 PM

    Shame on them.
    Shortages everywhere.
    A first world country with third world services at best.
    They just do not care.
    I love my country its my government I hate.
    Shame on them .

    138
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    Mute Dogg
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:08 PM

    I’m afraid there’s a new scandal everyday for FFG, they really have taken their eye off the ball and are continuing to focus on matters abroad. Palestine, trying to be the big lad in the EU Commission, the moral super power of the world and us hundreds of Billions in debt.
    They are spending like teenagers that got their first wage packet. As Tommy Tiernan said ‘Money doesn’t suit us’. We are a tiny little island trying to punch way above our weight.

    84
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    Mute Jb Walshe
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:43 PM

    @Dogg: “they have taken their eye off the ball” you say….when have they ever had their eye on the ball ? Only to line their own pockets !

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    Mute tony mc g
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    Apr 30th 2025, 10:27 AM

    @Dogg: Sinn Fein/provos would sort all this in no time at all.

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    Mute Brian Molloy
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:33 PM

    Is there anything there clowns in government have done right besides lining their own and their cronies pockets, health,gardai,defence etc ,all understaffed,

    119
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    Mute Daniel Wilson
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    Apr 29th 2025, 10:37 PM

    @Brian Molloy: they built a fairly decent bike shelter recently

    47
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    Mute DeBaldyMullet
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:17 PM

    Spend some of the ‘kerching’ from those speed vans and pay for more staff.

    59
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    Mute Fred
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    Apr 29th 2025, 9:17 PM

    Drew Harris has been a total disaster by all accounts. Martin, Harris,McEntee etc should be dragged in front of an Oireachtas committee to explain their incompetence.

    90
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    Mute Athena
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    Apr 29th 2025, 7:35 PM

    Can’t ‘civilians’ be trained into certain jobs and procedures like accident investigation???

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    Mute and the hit's just keep coming
    Favourite and the hit's just keep coming
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    Apr 29th 2025, 7:56 PM

    @Athena: ite a response unit …. meaning they would have to be a fully qualified Garda first to be able to drive using lights and sirens to a road fatality….. also they need to be a member so they can preserve the chain of evidence and the crash scene in case it turns into a criminal case …..

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    Mute The facts
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:04 PM

    @and the hit’s just keep coming: they shouldn’t be driving. We have police helicopters that could take them the majority of the way. Expecting one expert to travel to the other end of the country is farcical and typical of us Irish. Our public sector management are an utter farce.

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    Mute PAUL C
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    Apr 30th 2025, 12:07 PM

    @and the hit’s just keep coming: don’t need to be a gard to drive a car with lights and sirens .. fire brigade, ambulance etc . in terms of chain of custody .. I’ll point you to the forensic crime lab in kildare .. not staffed by AGS !! absolutely could be filled by a civilian competition .. in the article it states that the comp was discontinued as standards of those that applied (all garda applicants) were not meant. There is a mathematical aptitude element of the application this is most likely what is being referenced here. note the GRA didn’t say they needed more Gards assigned .. just more forensic investigators ..! MANAGEMENT are also allergic to increasing the amount of these people as because they are not Gards they don’t have the same control over them. MANAGMENT DONT LIKE THAT!

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    Mute Gerry Lynch
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:18 PM

    and roma knacks roaming the streets to stab people

    42
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    Mute Basildon Joe
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    Apr 29th 2025, 7:52 PM

    Why ain’t arsenal on the fkcimg tv??disgusting and Rte needs investigation

    14
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    Mute Danny O'Mahony
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:07 PM

    @Basildon Joe: Amazon Prime have the rights. Football has truly sold its soul when they put such a massive game behind a pay wall

    17
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    Mute Basildon Joe
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:30 PM

    @Danny O’Mahony: I give up Danny they are shitters doing that to the working man

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    Mute Jb Walshe
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    Apr 29th 2025, 8:45 PM

    @Basildon Joe: down with your British garbage,back to Essex for it

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    Mute Kev Kerr
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    Apr 29th 2025, 9:03 PM

    @Basildon Joe: any self-respecting Basildon Joe would have a dodgy box

    50
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    Mute Hunt Ley
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    Apr 30th 2025, 2:07 PM

    Something fundamentally wrong eith jow the public service performs . The leadership of state bodies seem to play musical chairs. One is as incompetent as the other.
    It’s clear there’s a crisis in policing. Harris needs to go, and a tough law and order policy be implemented.

    1
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