Zero Tolerance My Arse

K2

At lunchtime, while stopped at traffic lights, I watched a garda walk past 5 cars parked on double yellow lines and on the footpath. Anybody who has pushed a pram, used crutches, wheelchair or walking stick, or is blind will understand the problem this can cause. After parking my own car, legally, I then walked past another garda who had just parked his patrol car in front of a bank.....on double yellow lines (he went walking into the bank of, I presume, offical business :rolleyes:

In a week were we have all seen the photo of a scumbag sticking his fingers up to the rest of civilised society how can we have any faith in the law enforcers if they cannot (1) abide by the laws themselves and (2) appear unable to enforce simple traffic laws. I have respect for the garda but that is slowly being eroded. It would appear that the only thing to get you into trouble with the courts in this country is protesting against bin charges (leading to contempt of court) and speeding / drink driving motor offences.

Does anybody know why our laws do not apply to gangsters and corrupt politicians?

Sarky

Originally posted by K2
Does anybody know why our laws do not apply to gangsters and corrupt politicians?

Because they have lots of money.

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by K2
At lunchtime, while stopped at traffic lights, I watched a garda walk past 5 cars parked on double yellow lines and on the footpath. Anybody who has pushed a pram, used crutches, wheelchair or walking stick, or is blind will understand the problem this can cause.

How does a car parked illegally on double yellow lines differ from a car parked legally to a blind person? Not as if they know there is double yellow lines there.

yossarin

I think that he was refering to the cars also being parked on the pavement.

I have no respect for the Garda. Based on personal experience, I have found them useless and ineffective

K2

the front and back inside wheels were parked up on the footpath, so instead of having a clear path of what, 4 or 5 feet wide its reduced to 2 foot, most prams will not fit, a blind person will not know what is blocking the path etc. btw the lights i was stopped at had those marked paving stones to indicate to visually impaired people the change from path to road way, a bit of wasted effort if idiots are going to park their cars on the footpath , and btw again, there is no shortage of parking spaces, free and payable in wesport. And just to really pi55 you off, they were parked around the corner from the courthouse (its the junction at the castlecourt hotel for those who know the town)

does that answer your silly question?

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by K2
does that answer your silly question?

Ah I suppose so.. Was curious as to what you meant. You initial post seems like an excuse to rant about something...

I have no respect for the Garda. Based on personal experience, I have found them useless and ineffective

To be honest that is an unfair statement. The majority of Garda out there are very dedicated to their job, especially when you consider the amount they get paid when compared to other forces throughout Europe. Then you gotta consider the funding they get and what equipment is provided for them. The PULSE systems for example is a joke and was rejected by every other major Police force in Europe before we accepted and implemented it...

You gotta wonder, if you were in that sorta job for 20 odd years and saw some of the stuff they have and were underfunded to do your role, would you be the model citizen too? Or would you become extrememly lazy and just take advantage.

Imposter

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
To be honest that is an unfair statement. The majority of Garda out there are very dedicated to their job, especially when you consider the amount they get paid when compared to other forces throughout Europe. Then you gotta consider the funding they get and what equipment is provided for them. The PULSE systems for example is a joke and was rejected by every other major Police force in Europe before we accepted and implemented it...

You gotta wonder, if you were in that sorta job for 20 odd years and saw some of the stuff they have and were underfunded to do your role, would you be the model citizen too? Or would you become extrememly lazy and just take advantage. [/B]

So are you saying they are dedicated or that they're lazy and taking advantage of their role?
Pay imo has nothing to do with it. If they can't do their job for what they are getting paid then get another one. If not enough people want to do the job at those pay rates then the rate of pay would have to be risen but afaik there's always a lot more applicants than places on the garda course.

From my experience I'd have to agree with yossarin.

K2

sorry jesus-thats-gre, didn't mean to be so sarcastic. It's a bit of a rant, but justified when you look at this weeks papers (and its only wednesday) ordinary joe soaps jailed for protesting against bin charges ( I don't agree with them but believe we have the right to protest) a scumbag walks free from a murder charge after what appears to be intimidation of witnesses, the saga of corruption in Dublin continues, George Redmond was back in the headlines. A copper who appears indifferent to something as simple as ilegal parking doesn't inspire much confidence. How well will he deal with more serious matters? I'm not asking that every cop be judge dread, just to do the job they get paid to do.

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by K2
A copper who appears indifferent to something as simple as ilegal parking doesn't inspire much confidence. How well will he deal with more serious matters?

That I do know is no problem. Its the same in every job. you look for challenges. When you are new to a job, all the little things seem just as important and you approach everything with the same enthusiasm. After years of this, you will become apathetic towards the lesser issues and possibly ignore them.. But when something bit comes up, the apathy will disappear and you will approach it with renewed optimism. This I know for a fact is the way alot of Garda feel, some have personal vendettas against organised crime, drunk drivers, kiddy fidlers and and drug pushers.. Compared to these problems, parking on yellow lines are rather trivial do you not think.

SheroN

Is it not a traffic wardens job to sort out cars on double yellow lines?

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by SheroN
Is it not a traffic wardens job to sort out cars on double yellow lines?

It is, but Gardas have been given "extended" powers to do that job as well...

vasch_ro

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
It is, but Gardas have been given "extended" powers to do that job as well...

I think you will that their powers are not extended but have always been there having been granted through the various road traffic acts if you want zero tolerance thats well and good but just think
every time you do 31mph in 30mph zone thats 2 penalty points

every time you cross a road with 30 feet of a pedestrain crossing
bam!!! you get a summons to court

every time you cross a stop line at a junction whether on bike or in car what ever .....you will be brought to court

everytime you forget to renew your tax for a week or two your brought to court

the system is falling as it is it cannot handle the sheer volume of court cases

before you call for zero tolerance ask yourself how many times have you (or some one u know well ) parked on a double yellow line.were you wwith that person did you ask them to move away
or did they just stick on their magic hazard lights and run into the shop etc

let he who is with out sin cast the first stone
becareful if you shout loudly enuff for zero tolerance you may just get it !!!!


edited for typo's

Peace

Originally posted by K2
how can we have any faith in the law enforcers if they cannot (1) abide by the laws themselves and (2) appear unable to enforce simple traffic laws.

How can we have faith in these puto's??? well in short i don't...i just go about my business and watch my own patch these days. Society is crumbling around us and there's nothin we can do about it. Not until you put a breeding ban on skangers.

K2

for a start i dont park where i shouldn't but my point was not simply about yellow lines, its law enforcement and its the goverment that has in the past called for zero tolerance, I've already stated that we don't need judge dread out there. i accept that apathy will creep into any job but if i dont do my job properly my boss will, quite rightly, pull me up on it so why not so with the garda. And if i break the speed limit, even by 1 mph, then thats tought sh1t for me, I've broken the law and have to take whats due. If you ever get a chance read some of the regional papers (i am assuming you are living in dublin) - they are full of court reports of people getting done for misbehaving, things which only hit the headlines in dublin if the person is famous or has been killed, eg drunken and shouting in the streets in the small hours, fighting in the streets, abusive language to a garda, petty stuff but all are dealt with by the courts usually with the probation act. If a law is broken it should be dealt with no matter how trivial it may seem, this can amount to little more that a chat by the garda to say, in my example, the drivers of the cars, to move to a better parking spot. But please lets not have inaction on something just because its trivial to you, (yellow lines are usually put there for a reason, in this case its probably cos there is a secondary school, rehab centre, court house and hotel around this junction).

The_Goose

there is not enough gardai and they arent even trained properly!

i know a couple of garai personnelly and i am far from impressed!!!

the small over weight one(could nt catch a cold) seems to revel in the fact that all he does is eat drink(alcohal) and help himself to the lost and found!

the next guy is bout 6 6 and is bout four feet wide, all though i do believe he is more moral than the first lad he could stand to lose 300 pounds!

i live near to one of the biggest whole in ireland where there is knacker fights, stabbins suicides and some gang fights and the gardai station closes at 9!

if any of the above those happen their no where to be seen until hours later(not that i would go in either) but the min problem is that is not enough of them, with proper training and morals!!!!

vasch_ro

I live in wicklow and regularly read the bray people court reports
I was not trying to imply that I feel yellow lines are unimportant
because I strongly believe in the broken windows theory of taking care of all the small things like double yellow lines,
Fair enough if you travel one mile over the limit your willing to put your hands up , but your still prepared to travel over the limit,
the irish people as a race have no respect for law or rules
look at the amount of people who do park on double yellow lines
break red lights , the amount of bikes with no lights
as a society we have no respect for the law , the gardai cannot induce a societal change of this magnitude
this lack of regard was only magnified in the Keane case

spooiirt!!

gardai are overpaid. completely. all they are is glorified security guards. plus most of em are ex-skangers. or from the country.

The_Goose

what s wrong with us country folk, most of the skangers are city dwellers! ah that keane lad looks like he 'd kill ya for blinkin, hopefully he'll get his during the week!

Victor

Originally posted by vasch_ro
every time you cross a road with 30 feet of a pedestrain crossing

I believe it is 50 feet. :P

kano476

amzing how 3 gardai can sit around for 2 hours interrogating a nine year old over a petty arson caution but are nowhere to be seen for 2 hours after a break in.

Lord Nikon

I was in Pearce St. garda station about 2 weeks ago, I was looking for directions to Harcourt St. I went in hoping to ask a copper for direction but there was no-one behind the counter at ask. YET, behind the glass i could clearly see and count 13 officers busy shuffling around with paper in their hands. Let me also point out that I was there for roughly 5 minutes, waiting, minutes was long enough so I went outside and asked a passer-by.

I could have been a person who had information regarding a know drug-baron or a killer, yet, me being there was a complete waste of my time..

Regarding the yellow lines thing, eh, has anyone noticed the carpark outside Pearce St. station. Is there not yellow lines there? the coppers should be the first to be made example of, give them all tickets for parking offences.

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by neuromancer
Is there not yellow lines there? the coppers should be the first to be made example of, give them all tickets for parking offences.

They can park anywhere. A traffic warden tried this already in harcourt street in recent weeks.. It sorta back fired. I dont know the exact details but twas a funny story.

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by spooiirt!!
gardai are overpaid. completely. all they are is glorified security guards. plus most of em are ex-skangers. or from the country.

Try to get a security guard to tell a mother in a Ballymun flat, on three seperate occassions, that their child has overdosed in the basements of her flat complex... I personally know one Garda who discovered these three children (two boys and one girl) over the space of a month and had to tell the mother on each occassion....

I think you should go fcuk yourself and think about that for 5 minutes.. See how important double yellow lines are then.

Lord Nikon

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre


I think you should go fcuk yourself and think about that for 5 minutes.. See how important double yellow lines are then.

I know he was out of order, just relax okay.

Clinical Waste

Originally posted by vasch_ro
........the irish people as a race have no respect for law or rules
look at the amount of people who do park on double yellow lines
break red lights , the amount of bikes with no lights
as a society we have no respect for the law.......

The whole root, cause and solution to the problem -all in one neat statement.

de5p0i1er

Originally posted by Sarky
Because they have lots of money.

Thats the way this country is run. If you have money or a friend in the Government your above the law.

spooiirt!!

[quote:

I think you should go fcuk yourself and think about that for 5 minutes.. See how important double yellow lines are then. [/B][/QUOTE]



whatever

surfboy

Hi

My borther has worked with the law enforcement in England (Not a cop, but from a social working side). (He's been working in London for years now) Last year when he was home for christmas, we got stuck in town... couldn't get a cab etc....he asked a police man, "can you sort me a taxi", he threathened to arrest him, and my Bro went mad. I grabbed him and started walking. Then I asked him what the F*** was he thinking of? He said if he had done that in London, the cop would have tried to get a cab, if nothing else just to get people off the streets.

Now I also know two Guards here! One from the Old school and one from the new. The Older guy (in his 50s), is grand, and uses his REASON in sistuations... i.e. Catches someone doing something wrong, and will then decide on the situation, often bringing people down to his station so as to give them a scare.... or for example, he cought a guy walking out of a pub and jumping into his car, he asked him how many pints did he have, your man said 2! He took his car keys, and told him to come down to the station and collect them the next day, and when the guy arrived, he (The cop) gave him hell, and said if he caught him again, he'd nail him. He said he felt terrible as the car driver was in tears. or if they're nackers that he knows about, he'll throw the book at them (if he can).

The new fella would charge his own granny! He's still sort of a mate of mine. One night he even went as far as to start preeching that we shouldnt be drinking sooo much, etc...etc...etc...needless to say it didnt bode well. He also stopped one of the lads and gave him loads, (A lad he knows) over something minor, he thought the he was joking in the start.... but he wasnt!!!!

I myself, cant stand the guards here myself..... They're not so much to help in Ireland, but out to catch ya, but it's all about revenue here....... which is not right, they are public servants and there to help not hinder...

As one person stated in one of the replies, about waiting at a desk to talk to somebody, I had the same myself (Reporting that my car had been stolen), when the guy eventually came up to the counter (and he was reading a paper), he was as ignorant as F***.

As for the original post... about the parking.... really they should have put a ticket on the car, or reported the cars to the traffic cops, so as to lift them.... maybe they did... But one thing is for sure.... SOME (most) of the Guards here are useless / ignorant / and downright rude! And as I mentioned just "out to get ya"!!! Not help Ya!

vasch_ro

if memory serves correct there was a recent thread in either humanities or politics about Garda's private motor vehicles being clamped outside pearse street station, it does happen and has happened and control plus enforce it

I think it is a bit naieve to dismiss all Gardai as glorified security guards , firstly I'm sure many people earn a wage from the security industry and they are fine people and secondly the student Police do a lot of training in the Garda College which is a designated Third Level College.
As for dismissing them as skangers I think this is an indication of the mind set of the poster more than anything and possibly not very sensitive in todays inclusive society.

Neuromancer : did you make a complaint about the service you got ? If you did not and from the context of what you wrote I am assuming you chose boards to vent your frustration then I have no sympathy , If people do not complain as with all things there will be no improvement in service
Surfboy the same applies to you , what did you do about it
did you ask for his name so you could make a complaint ??
Its very easy to vent anger here in the forum's but why don't we get a better police service , if people feel strongly enough lets agitate
But I suspect that people feel more strongly about Broadband availability and what special offer Komplett have on this week

Also K2 to go back to the top of the thread did you report the cars parked on the double yellow lines, did you approach the Garda and point it out to him
do not forget as with all things we will only get the level of service we DEMAND !

yossarin

...did you approach the Garda

I suspect that'd get him a clip around the ear

In fairness, not all garda could be ineffective. Society just could not work.
My sister lives in a bad part of tallaght, and she is full of praise for the guards there. It seems that like most people, where they are challanged they generally rise to the ocassion with some effort at skill. But where there is nothing to do they just atrophy and you get these boyos doing what they like.

thats the trouble. you have this X percent of people who are actually good at the job, and the rest are a self important bored gang.

K2

I was stopped at traffic lights and there was no parking nearby, all those inconsiderate basatrds parked on the yellow lines had taken up the space:D . I didn't talk to the garda going into the bank cos as far I knew he could actually be on official business, doubtfull as that may be, could how could I prove otherwise.

surfboy

Hi vasch_ro,

The first incident.... which was the guy at the desk, I didnt do anything about, as I know one of the guards working there and didnt want to cause any trouble for him. (He told me that "he's just a grumpy old BO****" )

The other incident that happened last Christmas my brother did report, verbally at first and then sent a written report (when he was back in London) heard nothing back at all!!!

I thought one of us might have, as both of our addresses were on it as both of us were there...)

blondie83

I was on the bus today, and as we were going through Stillorgan I saw a guard on a motorbike driving by a car parked on double yellow lines. He stopped the bike, got of, went over to the car and wrote out a ticket for it. Just to give you hope K2:D

joseph brand

I doubt the filth get too much hassle in 'Stillorgan'.

Parking tickets are 'excitement' outt there.

I live in Tallaght, beside Cushlawn and Donomore.(charming areas).

Anyway, about 4 years ago, there were 3 stolen cars flyin up and down a field, at night, headlights spinning as the cars rotated in 'handbreakers and nose-throws'. (nice to see the youth have hobbies that get them out of the house eh?)

The filth were called, and arrived in a jeep, think Nissan Patrol.
What they hadn't been told about, I presume, was the 'onlookers', a crowd/mob of hyped up, flagan drinking, sticks and rocks yielding scum!

Well, needles(little joke there) to say, the filth, with their tails firmly behind their legs, scarpered back to Tallaght Garda station.

Its a bit scary to see the 'enforcers' forced to leave the nights entertainment.

They did come back eventually with a big lorry????

billy the squid

The guards are not the cause of the problem it is the courts. If I were a guard I would ask myself why the hell did I run through all dodgy neighbourhoods after a scumbag for stealing a car if they get a five euro fine and told not to do it again in the courts.

Two things to do are scrap the probation act and remove the word "concurrent" from the statute books

oh and a third ban smoking in prisons too

The_Goose

the scum arent afraid of prison and why should they its a ****in holiday camp for them!

my auld lad is a po and the stuff he tells me sound likes they have the life yet he still say s that just bein locked up is enough punishment enough!

i say the death penalty!

if so little **** for brains wants to kick the **** out of some kid or rape someone themn there should be a dark dark room made so whoever wants to can beat the **** out of them!

the courts cant handle the volume of cases so just lets them away with!

ireland will be a ****in war zone if the scum keeps risen so get down to your local ira arms dump and pick up a few essentials!