Removal of Illegally Parked Vehicles
The Minister said Gardaí are authorised to remove illegally parked vehicles, but have no policy of issuing keys to enable them to drive locked vehicles to pounds.
asked the Minister for Justice the reason members of the Garda Síochána are not permitted to drive illegally parked motor vehicles to pounds.
Comment on this
Members of the Garda Síochána are authorised under article 4 of the Road Traffic (Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1971 to remove and store vehicles which have been illegally parked.
Comment on this
The regulations do not specify the method to be employed for such removal. On occasions when unlawfully parked vehicles have been found with keys in the ignition they have been driven to the pound by members of the force. It is not Garda policy, however, to issue sets of keys to gardaí to enable locked unlawfully parked vehicles to be opened and driven to the pound.