Crime & Law

Pig rescue? Rabbit recovery? Sheep liberation? An Garda can help . . .

The Garda Twitter account provides rolling updates on the silly and downright dangerous behaviour on the roads

Ciaran D'Arcy
Tue Apr 4 2017 - 11:30

The Garda have had a tough time recently amid a flurry of adverse publicity surrounding breathalyser tests and court summons.

While widespread cynicism of the force is understandable in light of recent developments, the Garda Twitter account provides rolling updates on the difficulties faced by officers as they deal with some silly and downright dangerous behaviour on the roads.

Aside from the necessary banalities of checking for tax and insurance details, road policing units are often tasked with unusual and perplexing cases, some of which escape public attention.

One such case involved the seizure of a quad bike in Ballymun which had a 7 year-old on board. There were no insurance or license details for the vehicle. It is not clear if the child was driving the quad, but they were not wearing a helmet.

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Unfazed by the old showbiz adage about kids and animals, gardaí in Wicklow also helped to liberate 30 sheep packed onto trailer which only had three wheels attached.

Officers in Cavan were presented with a similar situation this morning when they stopped another two-axel trailer, but this one only had half the full complement of four wheels.

Pets can also be thankful for the assistance of An Garda Síochána, including micro-pig "Ziggy" who was reunited with his owner in February after he was picked up by gardaí on patrol in Kilcoole.

A similar outcome was hoped for the rabbit who was "detained" at Howth Garda Station last month, although it is not known if the owner of the "hot cross bunny" has been identified yet.

Providing help for our four-legged friends is all well and good, but speed detection forms a central part of Garda Traffic Corps duties in keeping our roads safe, as evidenced by the arrest of a motorcyclist caught travelling at nearly 200km/h on the M1 last month.

The same unit in Naas was also responsible for nabbing someone who was drink test-driving on the same day. The car was seized and the driver was given a court date.

Elsewhere, a Dublin truck driver fell foul of the law after he was caught packing a van into the back of the vehicle, which was only slightly larger than its cargo. The driver was found to have no insurance, no license and no certificate of roadworthiness, and was slapped with a court date for the infringements.

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