News Thread for all ES related

gerire · 29-01-2009 3:34pm

eroo wrote: »

Just plain ridiculous!

I do agree it's ridiculous there is one station to deal with the most populated area in the country. It is no where near big enough and staff are having to work in confined spaces;

With the amount of empty office space around the area it probably would be more cost effective to rent this instead of renting hotel space which would be charged at a premium;

I think the coroners court is also in the Plaza at the moment

cushtac · 29-01-2009 3:51pm

It's not hotel space, it's office space that was formerly occupied by the Revenue Commissioners. Coroners court has been moved to the Tower Hotel.

Paulzx · 29-01-2009 11:24pm

Fire services fight industrial estate blaze
Thursday, 29 January 2009 21:18

Dublin Fire Brigade is attending a fire at a premises in the JFK Industrial Estate in Bluebell.

The blaze was reported at 7pm this evening.

The building was empty at the time.

Seven units of Dublin Fire Brigade and a turntable ladder are at the scene.

It is expected to be some time before the fire is brought under control.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0129/fire.html

metman · 30-01-2009 2:40pm

Yob who assaulted two police officers cheats jail
Jan 29 2009 by Vicky Robson, Evening Chronicle

A SOFT sentence row raged today over a yob who beat up a police officer for the second time.

Fury erupted as John Johnson escaped a prison term for his vicious attack on a beat bobby. Johnson, given a community order, walked from court after he admitted the attack, which left PC Stuart Dixon with a three-inch scar on his head. But today magistrates in Newcastle were criticised for sending out the wrong message.

Russ Watson, chairman of the Northumbria branch of the Police Federation, said: “Assaults on the public and police officers are assaults on society and sentences should reflect that, or society will appear to be weak.”

Johnson, of Colston Street, Benwell, Newcastle, was already electronically tagged for an assault on another police officer, when he attacked PC Dixon in the city’s West End. Caught on CCTV, and with his baby son in a pram, the foul-mouthed yob launched a ferocious attack when the PC stopped him in the street. Magistrates heard Johnson flew into a rage when PC Dixon stopped him on West Road while he was taking his son Arthur, then three-months, to hospital for a check-up, in April. And when the officer asked him why he was wearing a tag, he said: “For chinning coppers.” The 25-year-old squared up to the officer and clenched his fists before knocking him to the ground and kicking him repeatedly.

Edith Sanderson, prosecuting, said: “PC Dixon tried to engage Mr Johnson in conversation. Mr Johnson was red in the face and angry.

“PC Dixon asked Mr Johnson: ‘Have you ever been arrested son?’, to which Mr Johnson replied: ‘Son, son, don’t call me son’.

“Mr Johnson then took a confrontational stance towards PC Dixon and clenched his fists. The officer then noticed that Mr Johnson was electronically tagged.

“When he asked him why, Mr Johnson replied: ‘For chinning coppers’. The officer felt he was going to be assaulted.”

Johnson then attacked PC Dixon, punching him in the chest and as they struggled, the officer fell to the ground and Johnson began to kick him.
When PC Dixon, an officer for 14 years, fought back and finally restrained and arrested Johnson, he began spitting and swearing.

Father-of-two, Johnson, had been warned he faced jail when he pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and a public order offence, in December.
But the delivery driver, who already has a string of public order convictions, was ordered to do 240-hours of unpaid work and given a 12-month community order with supervision, when he returned to court for sentencing. The court was also told Johnson became so aggressive with officers at Etal Lane Police Station they had to threaten him with a Taser gun before they could bring him out of the van. But Neil Connell, defending, told the court Johnson’s story was very different to the officer’s.

“Mr Johnson’s recollection of the incident is different to the officer’s in a number of respects,” he said. “He accepts that his actions on that day were sufficient to amount to an assault on the officer. If you look at the injuries the officer sustained you will see they were abrasions.”

In sentencing Johnson, and ordering him to pay £100 in compensation to PC Dixon, the chair of the bench, said: “I don’t think prison, in your case, would work and would only cause more damage.

“I think you are better doing something for the community.”

However, a Police Federation spokesman said the community sentence was too lenient. “All too often we are seeing more and more lenient sentences,” he said. “You don’t have to go back many years to see that an assault on a police officer was seen as an assault on society. It sends out an inappropriate message to the public and it’s like giving a green light.” But PC Dixon, who has been commended three times for his bravery, said he was simply happy his attacker had been dealt with: “I am just happy that the courts recognised that he did commit the offence and he has been punished for it,” he said. “I had general bumps and bruises and a three inch laceration to my scalp which has left a scar. Northumbria Police will act to stop inappropriate behaviour like this to make our communities a safer place.”

Magistrates also gave Johnson an absolute discharge for an offence of being drunk and disorderly on December 21 and fined him £50, with an added £15 victim surcharge.

Source

Another case of 'why bother'. 240 hours of unpaid work which he won't do, and a supervision order....despite him already being on a tag....for f*ck sake :rolleyes:

foxtrot-oscar · 30-01-2009 3:26pm

TheNog wrote: »

Here is another feel good story for the Gardai. One of the mules is a very good mate of mine. It happened exactly as reported below

mother and three children have been taken to hospital following a house fire in Dublin in the early hours of this morning.

Gardaí said they received a report of the house fire in Swords at around 4am.

When Gardaí arrived at the house on Hilltown Close, Rivervalley in Swords at about 4.15am they found a woman trapped in a first floor back bedroom.

A Garda tried to enter the house by the front door but was beaten back by smoke and flames.

Gardaí then used a ladder from a neighbouring house to rescue the woman.

Earlier three children aged 10, four and one were rescued from the house by the woman's boyfriend - who she had telephoned.

It's understood the woman lowered the children down to him.

The woman, who's in her late twenties, and the three children, were then taken to hospital where they're being treated for smoke inhalation.

The house was extensively damaged and an investigation is under way into the cause of the fire.

Gardaí said initial indications are that it was accidental.

Source

Look nog local hero creation, not one mention of your mule friends, bit out of order me thinks

Mum and three kids rescued from inferno

Family trapped as fire engulfs home in Swords estate
By JULEY-ANN COLLINS
Wednesday January 28 2009
The blaze broke out in the home of Lisa Fagan and her three children Michelle (10), Josh (4) and Stephanie ( 1) in their home at Hilltown Close in Rivervalley at 4.15am approximately. Ms Fagan, who is in her mid-20s,was trapped on the first floor in her home, where she had been living for the past 18 months, after the fire broke out in her sitting room on the ground floor. Next-door neighbour Constantin Salop told the Fingal Independent how he awoke to the sound of his front door being kicked down.
'Stephen (Ms Fagan's boyfriend) was kicking my door. We managed to break the front door down to get inside but we couldn't because of the smoke.'
'Lisa was inside and she threw the kids from the window and we caught them. Then for one or two minutes she disappeared from the window.'
' We took a ladder from my house and my nephew, Marian Agarlita, went up and we took her from the window and put her on the bonnet of my car and put all the children in my house.' Ms Fagan was taken to the Mater Hospital while her children were brought to Temple Street Children's Hospital where they were treated for smoke inhalation. Three fire units and ambulance units arrived within minutes of the alarm being raised and the last fire unit left the home at 6.30am. Sunday morning saw garda forensics officers begin an investigation of the scene. The house was extensively damaged and an investigation is under way into the cause of the fire. Initial indications are that the cause of the fire was accidental.
- JULEY-ANN COLLINS

Zuppy · 31-01-2009 12:19am

Eru wrote: »

Monday, 26 January 2009 12:12
Dublin-based software technology company, Skytek, has adapted its space developed iPV (International Procedural Viewer) technology for use by emergency personnel in Dublin Fire Brigade.

iPV, which was developed to assist astronauts in controlling and managing emergency situations on board the International Space Station, will now be used to help combat accidents such as fires and road incidents in Dublin.

Over the past year, Skytek has worked with Dublin Fire Brigade to adapt the technology known as APEX (Advanced Procedure Executor) to provide emergency personnel with immediate access to disaster procedures and plans via a mobile computer.

AdvertisementThe mobile system will store key information such as hazardous chemical data as well as emergency evacuation plans and procedures for key sites such as hospitals, factories and hotels.

APEX will also provide key information on the potential hazards associated with vehicles.

Due to the presence of explosives in airbags, high voltage batteries and other new hybrid car technologies, the removal of an injured person can be extremely hazardous to both emergency crews and victims and needs to be undertaken in a controlled manner. Knowing just where a vehicle can or cannot be cut apart is vital.

Emergency crews can now access and review key data on vehicle layouts, location of the nearest fire hydrants, floor plans etc all while on route to the scene of an accident or fire.

Richard Hedderman, Dublin Fire Brigade also added "Safety and speed are crucial in dealing with any emergency situation. By equipping our members with the latest technology we can avoid time delays and ensure that injured parties are getting the best possible care. We pre-plan emergency situations for dealing with major incidences in Hospitals, Hotels, Dublin Port Tunnel and other such locations. Since every situation is different ranging from fires to chemical and biological hazards, it is important that those dealing with the situation have the correct procedures and information to hand. The equipment that is currently on trial in North Strand and Swords has been very positively received."

Commenting on the trial Dr. Sarah Bourke, Skytek said "As with many innovations, this technology was originally developed for space missions where there is a need for controls, methodologies and procedures that are safe, accurate and secure. It shows how an Irish company can successfully undertake innovation at the highest level and then successful commercialise it in the International marketplace." (http://www.rte.ie/business/2009/0126/skytec.html)

Lads, this sounds like a great piece of equipment and one the Gardai are desperate for

Yip, it would be great if a system like this would go active and work. Been tried before. Not with any success

metman · 02-02-2009 12:19am

White Heroin Back on Streets
01-Feb-09

A form of high-grade white heroin is making a comeback on Britain's streets, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has warned....

A form of high-grade white heroin is making a comeback on Britain's streets, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has warned. Heroin hydrochloride was widespread during the 1970s but was replaced by more well-known "brown" heroin. Easy to snort and inject because it is water-soluble, white heroin's dangers were made clear in Quentin Tarantino's cult film Pulp Fiction, in which Uma Thurman's character snorts the powder, thinking it is cocaine, and then collapses.

Soca has warned of a resurgence in the drug in the UK, manufactured and shipped in from Afghanistan. Deputy director Steve Coates said there had been a few seizures of small amounts of white heroin in the past year but the return of the drug was noticeable. He said there had been seizures overseas in Afghanistan and Turkey, as well as a huge haul last year of £5.5 million worth of heroin, including white heroin, in straws sewn into the weave of Afghan rugs. Mr Coates, who has been involved in investigating the heroin trade for more than 20 years, said law enforcement agencies had seen a "seismic change" in the supply to the UK.

Overseas seizures in Afghanistan and Turkey suggest large-scale producers have started to manufacture white heroin and export it to the UK. Mr Coates said Soca is working with partners in the UK and Afghanistan and Turkey to stop the lethal drug reaching the UK. Soca's aim is to warn police, drugs charities and users of the return of white heroin and its dangers, he said.

Source

04-02-2009 6:46pm

Gallagher appointed to Garda role

The Government has appointed the former secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs to head up the Garda Ombudsman Commission.

Dermot Gallagher, who stepped down from his position in the Department last month, succeeds the late Justice Kevin Haugh, who died suddenly last week.

The Government is also extending the term of Garda Commissioner Facthna Murphy by one year and re-appointing Kathleen O'Toole as head of the Garda Inspectorate.

Source

timmywex · 04-02-2009 11:07pm

http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/news/two-gardaiacute-taken-to-hospital-as-patrol-car-skids-and-crashes-1627131.html

Lucky escape for the two gardai

TWO WEXFORD Gardai were brought to hospital by ambulance after their patrol car collided with a pickup truck in the snow on Monday morning.

Garda Neil Murphy and Garda Ger Guinan received minor injuries in the accident which happened at Kitestown on the main Wexford/Enniscorthy Road at 10 a.m.

The two Gardai had been assisting the County Council by clearing traffic at Oylegate to allow a crew to salt grit the road.

They were returning to Wexford Garda Station when the patrol car was in collision with a pickup. According to a Garda spokesman, the two officers were slightly injured in the accident and were brought to hospital for treatment. They were discharged shortly afterwards.

The driver of the pickup was uninjured.

Several minor accidents were reported due to the snowfall, the heaviest in Wexford for many years, and numerous motorists had to abandon their cars as roads became impassable.

In rural areas, farmers on tractors came to the rescue of stranded motorists.

There was serious congestion and long delays on all routes leading into Wexford town on Monday morning, as cars snaked along on snow-packed roads.

Paulzx · 06-02-2009 11:32am

Man held over fatal Bray fire
Friday, 6 February 2009 10:25

A man in his 50s has been arrested by gardaí investigating a fatal fire at Bray in September 2007.

Two firefighters, 46-year-old Brian Murray and 25-year-old Mark O'Shaugnessy, died on 26 September 2007 while battling a blaze at a factory in Bray.

The roof of the building collapsed during the fire.
Advertisement

The man was arrested this morning and is being held at Bray Garda Station.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0206/bray.html

timmywex · 06-02-2009 10:34pm

Paulzx wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0206/bray.html

Seems its a fire officer arrested for questioning!

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhsnqlsnsnkf/rss2/

timmywex · 11-02-2009 1:49pm

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0211/europe.html

A survey has shown that awareness of the EU's 112 emergency telephone number in Ireland is among the lowest in Europe.

Only 9% of Irish citizens said they had received information about the number, third from bottom of all 27 member states.

Only 16% said they were aware they could call the number from anywhere inside the EU, compared to 58% in the Czech Republic, 56% in Luxembourg and 50% in Poland.

AdvertisementThe emergency number was first introduced in 1991 and in 1998 all EU members were legally obliged to ensure that the number could be dialled free of charge from fixed lines and mobile phones.

The 112 number, which complements Ireland's national emergency number of 999, is designed to be used by Europeans who travel throughout Europe and who find themselves in an emergency situation abroad.

Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Romania have all decided to make 112 their national emergency number.

The EU wide service has been fully operational, and free from mobile and fixed line phones since December 2008, but only one in four Europeans know the service exists, according to the European Commission.

30% of callers have encountered language problems.

In Ireland the 112 service is able to respond in French, German, Italian and Polish, as well as English.

The survey on citizen awareness was carried out by Eurobarometer.

Paulzx · 12-02-2009 6:09pm

Man held after threatening to set himself alight in Dublin

A man has been arrested outside Government Buildings this morning after threatening to set himself on fire.

The 44-year-old, who doused himself in petrol, was protesting near the gates of the Department of the Taoiseach on Upper Merrion Street when he threatened to set himself alight.

He was overpowered by gardaí and Dublin Fire Brigade officers sprayed the man with fire extinguishers as a precaution.

The man was unharmed, and was taken to Pearse Street Garda station on public order offences. A fireman is believed to have suffered minor injuries in the incident.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0212/breaking47.htm

12-02-2009 7:34pm

Paulzx wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0212/breaking47.htm

Video on RTÉ.

Well done to those involved.

Sierra Oscar · 13-02-2009 3:04pm

Some pictures of the incident found here.

metman · 13-02-2009 3:58pm

Good effort by the cigire.

As an aside the video demonstrates what every serving police knows, it takes weight of numbers to safely restrain a non-compliant/aggressive/drunk/drugged/mentally ill individual, and this is often mistaken by joe public as excessive use of force or 'police brutality'.

Good job.

Eru · 13-02-2009 6:24pm

metman wrote: »

Good effort by the cigire.

As an aside the video demonstrates what every serving police knows, it takes weight of numbers to safely restrain a non-compliant/aggressive/drunk/drugged/mentally ill individual, and this is often mistaken by joe public as excessive use of force or 'police brutality'.

Good job.

Too true. Dont know the Cig involved but a few lads have worked with him on various duties. Supposedly hes a top man that hasnt let the stripe go to his head

deadwood · 14-02-2009 12:40pm

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Now, that's what i call a "large" Garda presence!

Well done that man.

Bloody Bodhran players.

CLADA · 16-02-2009 10:45am

Great piece of work.

Two Gardai, 3 prisoners, do hope the injured raider makes a full recovery:rolleyes:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0216/galway.html

Paulzx · 16-02-2009 11:34am

Garda Brutality. Case for the ombudsman methinks:rolleyes:

donvito99 · 16-02-2009 3:51pm

Source: Previous article.

Is this a Garda van? Looks more like a gardening companies van if you ask me.

Zuppy · 16-02-2009 5:48pm

2 unarmed against 5 armed. The Garda baton charge, 2 abrest, was unprovoked.

16-02-2009 9:08pm

Plans for a dedicated all-Ireland air ambulance service have been launched in Cork.

Organisers say the charity-funded project aims to raise €85,000 a month to run the service, which is based on a community-funded system operating in Cornwall in England for over 20 years.

The air ambulance will attend road traffic accidents and medical emergencies where rapid transport to hospital is needed or where remote location makes access impossible for conventional ambulances.

Chairman of the trustees of the project Derek Rowe said that he had conceived the idea after a close friend died following a road traffic accident.

The Bulker helicopter arrived in Cork today and will operate eight hours a day during weekdays.

Source

Link to All Ireland Air Ambulance

Hopefully this will be a success and gets extended.

CLADA · 22-02-2009 7:44pm

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0222/westmanstown.html

I know it wasn't the ideal place to carry out a shooting

, but unarmed members tackling gunmen again, another great piece of work congrats all round.

eroo · 22-02-2009 7:56pm

CLADA wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0222/westmanstown.html

I know it wasn't the ideal place to carry out a shooting , but unarmed members/hurlers tackling gunmen again, another great piece of work congrats all round.

Fixed that for ya!:D

CLADA · 22-02-2009 8:13pm

eroo wrote: »

Fixed that for ya!:D

Fix it again, they were golfers

eroo · 22-02-2009 8:21pm

CLADA wrote: »

Fix it again, they were golfers

Well, what else are hurlers supposed to do in their spare time?:D

cpstears · 23-02-2009 11:14am

Children witnessed garda club shooting
Monday, 23 February 2009 09:19

Gardaí have called in child psychologists and care workers to counsel and interview the three children of a man shot in Dublin yesterday.

The man, who is in his 30s, was seriously injured in the attack at the Garda Sports and Social Club in Westmanstown.

Three girls aged between three and ten were with their father when a gunman walked up to their car in the car park and fired up to seven shots.
Advertisement

The victim, who is Moldovan, was hit a number of times in the chest and upper body and remains in a critical condition and under guard in Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown.

The children's father also had a gun but did not fire it.

The gunman was tackled by two off-duty gardaí and arrested.

First a detective kicked the gun out of his hand; then a garda from Tallaght used a hurley to subdue him.

The gunman, who is also Moldovan and in his 30s, is still being questioned at Lucan Garda Station.

The two guns, both semi-automatic pistols, are being forensically examined.

deadwood · 23-02-2009 2:02pm

"subdue" and "hurley" in the same sentence without one of these:

?

donvito99 · 23-02-2009 6:26pm

Suggestion for Garda kit: Standard issue hurleys to replace ASPs.

News Thread for all ES related

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