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Gardai parking in disabled bay

  • 15-02-2012 11:45pm
    #1
    PCPhoto
    Registered Users Posts: 6,584 ✭✭✭


    Last weekend I spotted something which really annoyed/irritated me.

    A Garda car parked in a disabled bay !!

    Is there any point in me complaining to the ombudsman ?

    I did manage to take photos of this so will post them tomorrow, I'm a bit reluctant to goto the ombudsman as I feel like its not going to do anything.

    The way I see things going if I report it the ombudsman will goto their super, the super asks the gardai involved for their reasons - they either put hands up and get told "don't do it again" or they deny or give some excuse claiming they were called to premises in which case - excuse is either accepted or investigated and if/when found to be untrue .... member is warned not to do it again...no real proper punishment as far as I'm concerned.


Comments

  • #2
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,078 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    Maybe the Garda was disabled?


  • #3
    PCPhoto
    Registered Users Posts: 6,584 ✭✭✭PCPhoto


    its possible - but highly unlikely.

    no disabled badge was on display in any event !!


  • #4
    SerialComplaint
    Registered Users Posts: 2,644 ✭✭✭SerialComplaint


    I'd suggest you get the name of the local Superintendent and send the photo into him. Explain where there nearest available parking is. I don't think it is worth going down the 'formal complaint' route with the Ombudsman. Hopefully, the Supt will mark the driver's cards sharply.

    Gardai are exempt from road traffic laws while on duty, so it is unlikely that any law was broken.


  • #5
    PCPhoto
    Registered Users Posts: 6,584 ✭✭✭PCPhoto


    I agree - but my problem is that I would like to actually find out the result - knowing that justice is done if the gardai were on duty and on personal business.

    if the member puts his hands up and says - sorry, he should be properly reprimanded - so the public can see that if/when a member is caught abusing his/her position they are properly punished and not just all kept inhouse. (I would also want the same for any public service position - not just Gardai)


  • #6
    bluetop
    Registered Users Posts: 383 ✭✭bluetop


    Cant belive this guy has started another thread about the excact same thing,PCPHOTO,
    you really need to get out more, or are you trying to make a story out of this, folks give this guy a wide
    berth as he is only out to stir things up, below is the link to the last thread he started, and below that

    how he sells photos to the media make your own mind up about this guy

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056550704&page=2

    New this guy was looking for a story, pity he did not get what he was looking for, another media guru looking for a break, at the expense of the emergency services.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showp...05&postcount=8


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  • #7
    esf2012
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9 ✭esf2012


    PCPhoto wrote: »
    but my problem is that I would like to actually find out the result

    That's absolutely none of your bloody business, its confidential. Its between the Gardai and the people they were dealing with.

    Would you be so quick to allow Gardai speak about your personal issues and your dealings with the Gardai as a victim?


  • #8
    SerialComplaint
    Registered Users Posts: 2,644 ✭✭✭SerialComplaint


    esf2012 wrote: »
    That's absolutely none of your bloody business, its confidential. Its between the Gardai and the people they were dealing with.

    There is no need to breach confidentiality. A sensible Supt dealing with this inquiry would tell the complainant either;

    a) The Gardai were on urgent official business that justified use of the disabled parking bay, or
    b) The Gardai were NOT on urgent official business, and they've had their wrists slapped.

    No need to identify the Gardai in question, no need to identify what they may or may not have been doing at the time.


  • #9
    bluetop
    Registered Users Posts: 383 ✭✭bluetop


    SerialComplaint wrote: »
    There is no need to breach confidentiality. A sensible Supt dealing with this inquiry would tell the complainant either;

    a) The Gardai were on urgent official business that justified use of the disabled parking bay, or
    b) The Gardai were NOT on urgent official business, and they've had their wrists slapped.

    No need to identify the Gardai in question, no need to identify what they may or may not have been doing at the time.

    No they wont that would be an internal matter and not a public one, so you still be left wanting, get over it and move on with your life, emergency vehicles are exempt from traffic regulations.


  • #10
    SerialComplaint
    Registered Users Posts: 2,644 ✭✭✭SerialComplaint


    bluetop wrote: »
    No they wont that would be an internal matter and not a public one, so you still be left wanting,

    I've complaint to a Supt twice in about ten years, once on a traffic matter (not dissimilar to this issue) and once on a breach of confidentiality. In both cases, I got a good hearing and a professional response from the Supt after it had been investigated.
    bluetop wrote: »
    get over it and move on with your life, emergency vehicles are exempt from traffic regulations.

    There's all that defensiveness stuff again. Funnily enough, some of the folks who question and challenge are actually your best friends in the long run, as they are the ones who care most about the long term reputation of your organisation.


  • #11
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    bluetop wrote: »
    No they wont that would be an internal matter and not a public one, so you still be left wanting, get over it and move on with your life, emergency vehicles are exempt from traffic regulations.

    The Gardai are not exempt from normal parking rules and are only exempt from the general rules of the road as they apply to speeding, obeying traffic signs, wearing of seat-belts etc, AFAIK they are not exempt from charges of parking illegally in a disabled parking bay.


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  • #12
    Fuinseog
    Registered Users Posts: 5,371 ✭✭✭Fuinseog


    PCPhoto wrote: »
    Last weekend I spotted something which really annoyed/irritated me.

    A Garda car parked in a disabled bay !!

    Is there any point in me complaining to the ombudsman ?

    I did manage to take photos of this so will post them tomorrow, I'm a bit reluctant to goto the ombudsman as I feel like its not going to do anything.

    The way I see things going if I report it the ombudsman will goto their super, the super asks the gardai involved for their reasons - they either put hands up and get told "don't do it again" or they deny or give some excuse claiming they were called to premises in which case - excuse is either accepted or investigated and if/when found to be untrue .... member is warned not to do it again...no real proper punishment as far as I'm concerned.


    maybe they were on a shout. if it was just a donut run then it would not be acceptable. the guards should set an example.


  • #13
    Fuinseog
    Registered Users Posts: 5,371 ✭✭✭Fuinseog


    bluetop wrote: »
    No they wont that would be an internal matter and not a public one, so you still be left wanting, get over it and move on with your life, emergency vehicles are exempt from traffic regulations.

    emergency vehicles have to adhere to the rules when not involved in a shout. a few years back two female gardai ran down and killed a woman waiting at a bus stop. they were speeding and not in pursuit of anyone and were disciplined. the fire service can not put on the sirens and speed through traffic just for the craic. if anything happens heads will roll.


  • #14
    pixbyjohn
    Registered Users Posts: 6,250 ✭✭✭pixbyjohn


    PCPhoto wrote: »
    Last weekend I spotted something which really annoyed/irritated me.

    A Garda car parked in a disabled bay !!

    Is there any point in me complaining to the ombudsman ?

    I did manage to take photos of this so will post them tomorrow, I'm a bit reluctant to goto the ombudsman as I feel like its not going to do anything.

    The way I see things going if I report it the ombudsman will goto their super, the super asks the gardai involved for their reasons - they either put hands up and get told "don't do it again" or they deny or give some excuse claiming they were called to premises in which case - excuse is either accepted or investigated and if/when found to be untrue .... member is warned not to do it again...no real proper punishment as far as I'm concerned.

    Why are you on Boards asking whether you should complain or not ? You must be friendly with a lot of gardai considering you are close enough to them every working day, ask one of them what should you do. Hopefully you are not trying to troll here:rolleyes:


  • #15
    PCPhoto
    Registered Users Posts: 6,584 ✭✭✭PCPhoto


    pixbyjohn wrote: »
    Why are you on Boards asking whether you should complain or not ? You must be friendly with a lot of gardai considering you are close enough to them every working day, ask one of them what should you do. Hopefully you are not trying to troll here:rolleyes:

    I came to this section of boards to get the opinions of those who access the Accessability/Mobility/Disability forum (and the other thread was to get the opinions of those who access the emergency services forum) .... I wanted to find out what the opinions of those who are in need of these spaces and those of gardai and other emergency services.

    I am friendly with a lot of Gardai and do not want to ruin relationships because of this, it may well have an innocent reason, then again it could have been two "rogue" Gardai - I wanted to find out if others thought I should report the matter, I'm personally in two minds as on one hand I do not trust that if I send in a complaint that the matter will be dealt with in confidence and on the other hand I do not wish to get a Garda in trouble over something which might have been very trivial, if the Garda was on duty and there for a valid reason fair enough, if he/they were there to purchase something I think they should not have been allowed to use a patrol car to do this

    (from talking about the matter with some senior Gardai - who approached me about it, they are obviously on the forum - I'm told that even if I report it members can give various excuses which are accepted and not followed up, as you can see from earlier in the thread there are loads of "reasons" why a garda could have been there - some might be true, some may not - the only way to tell is to investigate because small number of Gardai abuse their privilages and some do not understand when they apply to them (the gardai) )


  • #16
    parsi
    Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    It's plain that there is a cohort of guards who don't give a feck. They do what they want and when people complain they get defensive and full of the "oh I hope you're never in a situation where we can't get to rescue you because we couldn't park in a disabled spot/ were busy stamping a passport form / we were doing other non-sexy duties"

    I live near a GAA stadium and tonight our estate was filled up with GAA fans parking on the footpath, straddling the green areas and in some cases parked with all 4 wheels on the footpath. I rang my local barracks and was told that parking on a footpath is not necessarily an offence. A squad car did drive through but didn't bother stopping and enforcing the law.

    Obviously they feel that if they ticket the cars they won't get free entry.


  • #17
    Fuinseog
    Registered Users Posts: 5,371 ✭✭✭Fuinseog


    my main gripe with the guards is that when you go to report a crime they laugh in your face. i have experienced this personally. a lot of times there is not a lot they can do about the crime, but laughing does not help.
    A friend's car was broken into and she goes horse riding and happened to have a whip in the car. when the guards arrived they played around with it as if it were some kind of sex toy and appeared more interested in that that recording the details of the crime.
    more professionalism is perhaps required.


  • #18
    alan18
    Registered Users Posts: 49 ✭alan18


    SerialComplaint wrote: »
    I'd suggest you get the name of the local Superintendent and send the photo into him. Explain where there nearest available parking is. I don't think it is worth going down the 'formal complaint' route with the Ombudsman. Hopefully, the Supt will mark the driver's cards sharply.

    Gardai are exempt from road traffic laws while on duty, so it is unlikely that any law was broken.

    Gardai are exempt from road traffic laws while on duty ?? do's that mean they can use a phone ?


  • #19
    RainyDay
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,925 ✭✭✭RainyDay


    alan18 wrote: »
    Gardai are exempt from road traffic laws while on duty ?? do's that mean they can use a phone ?
    Yes and yes.


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