GARDA COMMISSIONER Fachtna Murphy has condemned an arson attack on one of the new fleet of speed camera and speed survey vans in the early hours of yesterday morning.
A lone operator was inside the van, which was parked at Milltown on the main Carrickmacross to Dundalk road in Co Louth, shortly after 4.40am. The front window was broken and curtains and seats were set ablaze.
The fire quickly engulfed the vehicle but the occupant escaped without serious injury.
The van was owned by GoSafe, the private consortium which is contracted to run the mobile speed camera network in Ireland.
Operators say the survey van, which assesses the suitability of an area for a camera, is identical to a working speed camera van.
A silver car was seen leaving the area at speed immediately after the fire.
Gardaí in Dundalk are examining CCTV footage from the area in an attempt to identify the vehicle. It is thought there may have been two people in the car.
The van, including equipment, was worth about €70,000.
The commissioner said “it was an outrageous and reckless act which could have had grave and tragic consequences”.
“GoSafe van personnel are out on our roads day and night working with An Garda Síochána to reduce speed-related collisions and stop the needless loss of lives on our roads.
“It is important work directed at ensuring that fewer families and communities here have to endure the pain and suffering which follows collisions and deaths on our roads.”
Gardaí in Dundalk have appealed to the public for information in relation to the incident.
Garda sources said that the van was unmarked and that it would not have been immediately clear if it was a speed camera or a speed survey vehicle. “We can’t be sure at this stage if the people who attacked it knew it was related to the new camera system and targeted it for that reason or if they possibly thought somebody else was in the van. But we are hopeful of progress on the case.”
The arson attack is not the first time speed cameras have been attacked.
Last year a garda had a narrow escape when the vehicle in which he was monitoring traffic was set alight in Blarney, Co Cork.
Attacks have also taken place on fixed speed cameras on the N4 outside Kells, and the M1 motorway north of Dublin.