New 'mobile garda station' makes first public appearance ahead of national roll out

Members of the public attending the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition got a sneak peak of the latest addition to the garda fleet ahead.

Ten new Community Engagement vans were delivered just before Christmas and they will be allocated to garda divisions across the country in the coming weeks.

Manufactured by Chinese firm Maxus, the new vans will enhance the high visibility presence of gardaí around the country and will operate as mobile garda stations - mainly in locations which do not have a permanent garda station.

It is envisaged that gardai will be able to deal with things such as passport applications and taking reports of crime from members of the public when on duty in the vans.

One of the new vans was on display at the RDS in Dublin at the weekend and it proved to be a popular attraction for students, teachers, parents and members of the public who were able to get inside and receive a demonstration on its capabilities. 

The state-of-the-art vehicles have been installed with CCTV cameras, a public address system and a projector-type display system. This will allow gardai to communicate with those attending public gatherings and outdoor events as well as displaying public guidance and safety advice.

The vans, which have desks and chairs, can be used by members of the force to access the Pulse system using their work mobile phones. They are also connected to the TETRA communications network. 

The new vehicles can also be used to transport two mountain bikes which will allow members to carry out patrols when they are parked up.

Initially, one of the new vans will be allocated to each of the four garda regions (Dublin Metropolitan Region, North Western Region, Eastern Region and Southern Region). 

No announcement has been made as to where the remaining six will be deployed.