my first dealings with the gardaí

Chinafoot

so there i was on friday night, curled up on the couch watching tv around ten o'clock when my mobile rang. turned out i was in work at 6:30am the following morning and could i come and collect the keys.
anyway, off i go and get the keys and while im there i go around the side to have a smoke with my mate that was working at the time. around the side of the shop were the usual go-go racers looking at each others cars and not really causing much bother. suddenly two young lads, around 14 or 15, appeared and sat on the same wall, having been chased off from the canal by the guards for drinking. a few minutes later a squad car appears and out jumps this big brute of a guard. by this stage my mate had been called back inside and i was just finishing my smoke and was sitting a fair bit away from the rest of them. so this brute starts on the first young lad "what were you doing at the canal?" young lad gives obligatory "nothing" response and his mate beside him laughs. suddenly the brute of a guard grabs the one that laughed and says "do you find this funny? eh? eh?" and drags the young lad off the wall and put him in the squad car. then the female guard gets out of the car with her little note book and walks over to me and says "name?"
i was slightly surprised and just said "eh i work here, this has nothing to do with me" and she says "name?" and i said "why do i have to give you my name? im 21 years old and am not with any of these." her reply "doesnt make a difference, name?" so i gave her my name, adress etc., and she went on and took the name of everyone that was there. two minutes later they let the young lad out of the car!

now i have never had any dealings with the guards before and was amazed at their attitude. made me feel like writing a letter or something! grrrr
does this crap happen often and is it actually possible to do something about it? are they really the law unto themsleves that they seem to think they are?

tman

should've arrested your hippy ass tbh

Bunnyefey

In my experience, they like to take down names and addresses in their little note books. It gives them something to do. I'd just let the incident pass. Its a power trip thing, its unlikely they think you were involved in anything but as I said they do like to take down names in those damn little notebooks.

robbie1876

I'd say she fancied you, ya fox...

ApeXaviour

So the garda asked you your name... Wowee let's write a letter and get them all suspended. That is really hardly worth mentioning tbh...
Listen mate if that was your worst experience with them then you really have absolutely nothing to complain about. This is how you must act in a position of authority dealing with a potentially violent public. I give them as much slack as they want once they are not breaching my individual rights.
Try being slammed against a wall, cuffed too tightly, thrown into the car and then being dragged out of said car by the chain between the cuffs thereby snotting yourself off the ground. Not to mention the ridiculus bruises and swollen wrists left afterwards...

seamus

Yah, let it pass. If you were formally warned, you'd be notified.

Badly Drunk Boy

Let it pass, as t'others said....

But I memember when I was stopped in the middle of the Curragh and searched for drugs, at 3'o clock on a Sunday afternoon as I was cycling along...

Have any of ye been pulled over by the cops when you were cycling? The 'bad cop' was trying to make out that I was a regular down at the station, but I'd only ever been there for my passport photos. Yer man, the scum cop was saying "Ah yeah, you've been in the station loads of times for drugs..."

It'd make you want to get voilent (and I don't get violent). :mad:

RainyDay

Badly Drunk Boy wrote:

Yer man, the scum cop was saying "Ah yeah, you've been in the station loads of times for drugs..."

To which the obvious answer would be 'Wow Officer - I never realised that you were giving out drugs down at the station - but I'll certainly be down there first thing in the morning'.

The Muppet

peachypants wrote:

now i have never had any dealings with the guards before and was amazed at their attitude. made me feel like writing a letter or something! grrrr

It made so angry you considered writing a letter EH.

She was only doing her Job , obviously the group were up to no good and you appeared to be with theat group sos he took your details. Why were you reluctanat to give your name? The cops have enought to deal with with the scumbags of society without eveyone else makeing their job more difficult than it already is.

Badly Drunk Boy

RainyDay wrote:

To which the obvious answer would be 'Wow Officer - I never realised that you were giving out drugs down at the station - but I'll certainly be down there first thing in the morning'.

Yeah, I'm sure that he would have taken that response very well...

Him-"Oh, what have we found here??"
Me-"You just put that there!"
Him-"Yeah, but who's going to believe you...?"

bennyx_o

Maybe they just took your name and address as a witness?

therecklessone

Or to make sure you didn't go telling anyone what happened the young fella, especially on d'internet.

You're so forked now mate...

ApeXaviour

RainyDay wrote:

To which the obvious answer would be 'Wow Officer - I never realised that you were giving out drugs down at the station - but I'll certainly be down there first thing in the morning'.

Ouch.. Would it honestly be worth the 3 seconds of personal humour to make the next few hours a total hell..
There's maybe 1 in 10 garda that wouldn't take that as a personal offense, an assault on their profession and might actually see a funny side to it.

The best way to deal with the garda (I've found) is to put on a show of fear and innocense, let them "scare" you a bit and then be on their way. It's over much quicker when they have nothing to prove whilst on their obligatory power trip..

Giblet

I second the "she fancied you" notion.

dazberry

RainyDay wrote:

To which the obvious answer would be 'Wow Officer - I never realised that you were giving out drugs down at the station - but I'll certainly be down there first thing in the morning'.

LOL - About 10 years ago, a mate of mine got pulled in on Grafton Street and spirited away for a drug search (presumably not a full search ) - for no other good reason than he was an unkempt hippy at the time.

So while he was sitting in a cell awaiting his moment of glory - some regulars also in the cell arranged a "transaction" with him and on exiting the station - said transaction was completed

D.

ApeXaviour

dazberry wrote:

So while he was sitting in a cell awaiting his moment of glory - some regulars also in the cell arranged a "transaction" with him and on exiting the station - said transaction was completed

Haha brilliant! It's just another example of how the system doesn't work. Same goes for prisons, I mean they wonder why people come out better criminals than when they went in... I mean if I had to live isolated from society with a bunch of mechanics and auto-engineers, I'd think I'd come out knowing a bit about cars don't you?

MrNuked

He got pulled in because they thought he took drugs and he was somone who took drugs. What rotten corrupt police we have! Try going to America, or even England to get some perspective on police on power trips.

"Irish eh? Do you know anything about a group called the Real IRA?"

ApeXaviour

MrNuked wrote:

He got pulled in because they thought he took drugs and he was somone who took drugs. What rotten corrupt police we have!

If you're referring to my comment in any way you misunderstood me entirely.. The police are fine, that's their job and the attitude is mandatory. They have the odd bad egg sure but who doesn't. It's the criminal justice system, it doesn't do it's job. I'm not coming up with an alternative mind you but the one we have is the worst type except for all the rest

ferdi

**** The Police!

ozt9vdujny3srf

Their attitude is anything but mandatory, in general gardai are ignorant lazy ****s who love lording it over people whe they think they have them for something. The experiences i've had with gardai have been mostly negative, hell the last gardai i asked directions replied with an offended look in his face "Do i look like a ****in signpost?"

Haveing said that i've never really had a hard time off the gardai, just the usual name taking ****e when i was out nacker drinking and bizarrely once when i was collecting for charity.

ferdi

Vivienne Puny Optometry wrote:

when i was collecting for charity.

i hope you rot in jail!!!!

OfflerCrocGod

Don't be so certain that nothing will come of this. I was asked for my name and addy when I was stopped by a guard and given out to for 20 mins about cycling down a one way road and then a month after I got a fine :mad: Now I've lost all respect for the guards NO WONDER they go about their job in fear it's the way they act towards people that makes them hated. If they didn't act like assholes maybe they wouldn't have anything to fear.

jesus_thats_gre

They are not there to be liked??

Ste.phen

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

Don't be so certain that nothing will come of this. I was asked for my name and addy when I was stopped by a guard and given out to for 20 mins about cycling down a one way road and then a month after I got a fine

(I'm assuming this was cycling the WRONG way down the road?

You poor poor thing, next thing they'll be expecting you to stop at red lights. The bastards.

MrNuked

Some people (I could name a couple right off) collect money for charity but keep it. That's what that is about.
I maintain that anybody who has a problem with the plice mentality here should spend time in the USA. I've had **** off police in America, on more than one occasion, in England, and in Hungary, when I was doing nothing wrong whatsoever. I've never had **** off police here. I've spent maybe five months in total in those other countries I named. I've lived my whole life in this country. The garda are grand and if you get ****e from them you probably come across as an utter skanger.

simu

What's stopping a person from making up a fake name and address, anyway?

Crash

*shrug* the only guards that really piss me off are the ones that really dont give a **** about the job - guy broke into our house a while back and i legged it up (was on my own) to the garda station - your man took about five minutes taking down details before he made any sort of call (despite the fact that your man was STILL in the house when i left and had a fair bit of time there. he didnt give a **** (was in immense pain cus i'd had to run bare foot) and was like "ah i'm sure he's gone now" in a sort of "why are you reporting this to us" kinda way. the detectives who showed up were great but he shouldn't be allowed do jack ****.

HashSlinging

maybe she had the hots for you man.

OfflerCrocGod

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

They are not there to be liked??

They are not there to harass people who are just standing around either.

Igy wrote:

(I'm assuming this was cycling the WRONG way down the road?

Yep

Igy wrote:

You poor poor thing, next thing they'll be expecting you to stop at red lights. The bastards.

I don't drive. It was a bycycle going down an empty alleyway ( wouldn't call it a road ) and it was less then 100 meters long. I was crawling along on the yellow lines my other options were to jump onto the footpath which had a few shoppers on it. I could imagine your feelings at having being treated like I was and I'd say they wouldn't be too positive, they need some tact and should be able to handle situations without intimidating people. They fear for themselves because one of these days they know they'll meet someone on whom their intimidation won't work and then they will have run out of options, so they won't deal with that person.

Like the thread about the drug dealers being ignored outside certain parts of Dublin when they *know* who these people are it's because being a bully against these kinda people can result in nasty things happening to you so if anyone points out these people to you, as a guard you just say "Thanks we know about them" and you just keep walking. It's great that the guards have no prob slamming me off my bike onto the road ( that's how I was stopped ) when I'm cycling down an empty road or can request a random girls ( peachypants ) address and name when she has done nothing wrong or can slam a 15 year old into their car to "Show them who's boss". NO FEAR that what the guards are all about, eh? or maybe NO BACKBONE would be more likely. They act like bullies and like all bullies they are afraid of anyone stronger then them so they pick on the weakest. So until you've been intimidated by a random guard then I really don't think you'll ever be able to grasp what it's like, knowing that you are always in the wrong and that there is nothing you can do but sit there and take their crap, until then just don't bother commenting.

stagolee

" NO FEAR that what the guards are all about, eh? or maybe NO BACKBONE would be more likely. "

ive got to agree with offler here if the average guard is half as much of a tough charachter as he likes to pretend he is while he is hassling people for nothing then why do they seem to shy away from dublins many smackheads and headcases.

not that id be to happy tackling a junkie myself but then unlike the guards im not paid to. i also dont harrass people in a way that suggests i have delusions of being dirty harry, but last time i checked we werent paying them to do that either :rolleyes:

Stark

I've been in bullied situations by the guards twice and it was totally humiliating. Got poked in the shoulder like a schoolboy and everything followed by "So I don't have anything on you do I? Well let's just do a search for drugs and see" followed by them taking out my notes for college out of my pocket and having a good read through them.

Had one other situation where I was actually in the wrong - cut through a very busy junction at speed on my bicycle and nearly got knocked down by a garda car. The garda who caught me in that situation was actually quite polite, just informed me of what mistake I made and the correct procedure for navigating the junction, plus gave me a verbal warning about not having a light on my bicycle. Unfortunately his type is in the minority as far as I can see (though the people behind the desks at stations are usually quite nice).

chrismon

cops can be very annoying,and embarrsing.
I was in supermacs one night eating a burger with my friends,the place was packed,then the cops come in,start asking me questions,drag me out of my chair and searched me,made me empty my pockets,searched my wallet,took my name and address and then walked out.
W@nkers

super_furry

Maybe it had something to do with this - http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0926/dublin.html, in which case you can understand the Gardai's abruptness and their treatment of the two teenagers.

RicardoSmith

Theres good AND bad guards unfortunately. I've met both. Such is life. Best defense against the bads ones is knowing a few good ones. Preferably as high a rank as possible.

Big Ears

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

They are not there to harass people who are just standing around either.YepI don't drive. It was a bycycle going down an empty alleyway ( wouldn't call it a road ) and it was less then 100 meters long. I was crawling along on the yellow lines my other options were to jump onto the footpath which had a few shoppers on it. I could imagine your feelings at having being treated like I was and I'd say they wouldn't be too positive, they need some tact and should be able to handle situations without intimidating people. They fear for themselves because one of these days they know they'll meet someone on whom their intimidation won't work and then they will have run out of options, so they won't deal with that person.

Like the thread about the drug dealers being ignored outside certain parts of Dublin when they *know* who these people are it's because being a bully against these kinda people can result in nasty things happening to you so if anyone points out these people to you, as a guard you just say "Thanks we know about them" and you just keep walking. It's great that the guards have no prob slamming me off my bike onto the road ( that's how I was stopped ) when I'm cycling down an empty road or can request a random girls ( peachypants ) address and name when she has done nothing wrong or can slam a 15 year old into their car to "Show them who's boss". NO FEAR that what the guards are all about, eh? or maybe NO BACKBONE would be more likely. They act like bullies and like all bullies they are afraid of anyone stronger then them so they pick on the weakest. So until you've been intimidated by a random guard then I really don't think you'll ever be able to grasp what it's like, knowing that you are always in the wrong and that there is nothing you can do but sit there and take their crap, until then just don't bother commenting.

You forgot to mention that this is what 100% of the Gardai are like and that not one of them is a normal person who is there to protect and serve the public , :rolleyes:

stagolee

i heard talk a while back that some sort of independant ombudsman or something was going to be set up so that a complaint against the guards didnt just result in the complainant being put on some sort of list of known troublemakers. anything happening about that?

Ruaidhri

From Link
Two 18-year-olds are still being questioned at Mountjoy Garda station about the incident.

and

suddenly two young lads, around 14 or 15, appeared and sat on the same wall, having been chased off from the canal by the guards for drinking.

Somehow i think not? it's VERY hard to get a 14 year old and a 21 year old mixed up. hell it's hard to get a normal person and a little scum-bag mixed up. my dealings with the gardai have (thankfully) been limited, but i jumped a wall into an estate i used to live in (a quiet clu-de-sac in galway) and got questioned at length RIGHT OUTISDE MY HOUSE and somehow got my address taken. really does make you wonder ( this is two days after i get jumped on the street by my house, and report said incident )
i think they just want to insult us all.

Stark

Sometimes you do see a 21 year old hanging around with 14 year olds in order to sell them drink/drugs etc. For example, in our park there's this (I can only describe him as a "fool" or a "dope", his nickname amongst the normal people in the estate is "Mope") dope who hangs around with all the young lads to be "cool" and is known by the gardaí to be selling them hash and stuff.

1

Stark wrote:

Sometimes you do see a 21 year old hanging around with 14 year olds in order to sell them drink/drugs etc. For example, in our park there's this (I can only describe him as a "fool" or a "dope", his nickname amongst the normal people in the estate is "Mope") dope who hangs around with all the young lads to be "cool" and is known by the gardaí to be selling them hash and stuff.

Sounds gay.

OfflerCrocGod

Big Ears wrote:

You forgot to mention that this is what 100% of the Gardai are like and that not one of them is a normal person who is there to protect and serve the public , :rolleyes:

Never said they were all like that; it's just obvious though that quite a few guards are not capable of interacting with citizens in any manner other then by bullying. Yes some of us have had good experiences with the guards ( Stark's second experience is how the guard who knocked me off my bike should have reacted "Listen son don't do that". Instead I was harangued for nearly 20 mins in a public place and was fined €60 - a month after the incident because the guard may have feared I was going to complain about my treatment. I had to go into court and waste a judges time and mine for someones ego trip )

On the other hand there are many guards who behave like children ( lots of examples above ) these people have no tact and are to many people intimidating, scary and rude. Just because not all of them are like this we should just shrug our shoulders and say "Ah, well at least some of them are pleasent". So the ones that are making the guards look like gorillas in yellow raincoats should just be let be and hope that maybe they will "grow out of it". Sorry Big Ears but that plan doesn't strike me as very smart. They should be given lessons on how to behave towards people in public during their training and how to deal with situations in ways other then bullying. They aren't bouncers.

super_furry wrote:

Maybe it had something to do with this - http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0926/dublin.html, in which case you can understand the Gardai's abruptness and their treatment of the two teenagers.

I forgot the part of my story ( or anyone elses story on this thread ) were 'me and me gang' were caught assaulting a Lithuanian man near the Royal Canal, could you please point that part out to me?

super_furry

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

I forgot the part of my story ( or anyone elses story on this thread ) were 'me and me gang' were caught assaulting a Lithuanian man near the Royal Canal, could you please point that part out to me?

*sigh* Well it really should be blindingly obvious, but I'll indulge you. The topic creator said he saw the teenagers being questioned and was then asked for his details himself after he left his house at around ten and was in the of the 'canal'. At roughtly the same time the Gardai would have been investigating the assualt of a man by a group of teenagers by the Royal Canal.

So like I said, if what peachypants saw was connected to that assault, the Gard's attitude and behaviour is understandable.

1

"since when are gay people like that?"

I recieved minus reputation and the above comment for my "sounds gay" comment above. Might I just point out to the person who has
A: a brain the size of a pea or
B: is a homosexual with a sever inferiority complex or/and a persecution complex

That I meant gay as in ghey. A common expression on the internet for meaning lame I have been led to believe. As in what gay/ghey or lame behaviour for someone aged 21.

CyberGhost

bah, nothing special!

I'd say good work Gardai!

those scam deserve to be treated like that!

OfflerCrocGod

super_furry wrote:

*sigh* Well it really should be blindingly obvious, but I'll indulge you. The topic creator said he saw the teenagers being questioned and was then asked for his details himself after he left his house at around ten and was in the of the 'canal'. At roughtly the same time the Gardai would have been investigating the assualt of a man by a group of teenagers by the Royal Canal.

So basically every teenager any where near a canal was to be treated as a suspect including a 21 year old girl and 14 year old kids? As none of them were actually arrested or asked to go to the station with them it seems as if the guards were basically going to see how many people they could piss off instead of trying to communicate with anyone they just demanded details and never once told these people WHY. Anyone with half a brain would have figured out going up to them telling them about the assault may have solicited some sort of a reaction, a look or one of them trying to pull a legger, something more usefull then God knows how many pissed off teenagers.

super_furry wrote:

So like I said, if what peachypants saw was connected to that assault, the Gard's attitude and behaviour is understandable.

NOT AT ALL they had no proof that any of these people were connected to this assault. They were aggressive from the word 'Go' their attitude towards all of the kids was to attack them and to ignore any request for information. They really seem to know how to make friends those two guards don't they.

Also peachy was harassed on friday the 24th the attack occured on the 25th, maybe the guards have magical predictive powers?

OfflerCrocGod

CyberGhost wrote:

those scam deserve to be treated like that!

Wait till it happens to you, then maybe your pugnacious attitude will disappear. To be replaced by the shame of a public verbal telling off - or worse. Whether you're 'scam' or not it doesn't matter.

Big Ears

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

Sorry Big Ears but that plan doesn't strike me as very smart.

It dosen't strike me as a very smart plan either , and I certainly didn't suggest it .Its just that you failed to say anywhere among you're posts (and there was a couple of big ones) that this is not what all Gardai are like .

You were making it sound like we would be better off without the Gardaí .

luckat

I was thinking the same, that it must have been about that poor Lithuanian guy:

(From RTE)

Lithuanian man is assaulted in Dublin

26 September 2004 19:37

Two 18-year-old men are due to appear at Dublin District Court tomorrow morning charged in connection with a serious attack on a 48-year-old Lithuanian man.

A third teenager has been arrested in connection with the incident, which took place along the Royal Canal in Dublin last night.*

Gardaí say the man was set upon by up a gang of youths and beaten about the head and neck.

His condition is*described as critical at Dublin's Mater Hospital.

Gardaí are*trying to establish a motive for the attack and are appealing for anyone who was in the Drumcondra area last night to come forward.

Put yourself in the Garda's place. She was probably scared, and acting the big arrogant Guard to cover, and to make sure no one tried to take her on.

If a Garda asks you for your name, give it, and your address, and be polite - legally, you're required to do so.

I know politeness should go both ways, but it doesn't always, and you look after your dignity better by being polite than by losing your temper or being smart.

OfflerCrocGod

Big Ears wrote:

It dosen't strike me as a very smart plan either , and I certainly didn't suggest it .Its just that you failed to say anywhere among you're posts (and there was a couple of big ones) that this is not what all Gardai are like.

Were did I say that's how they all are?

Big Ears wrote:

You were making it sound like we would be better off without the Gardaí .

I don't think so I just think we would be better of with civil guards. If you were to act like that towards people Big Ears I'd say you'd be told soon enough about it; but we can't tell them that can we because they wouldn't like it now and the last thing you want is to give them further reasons to dislike you they could make your day a real pain.

luckat

Remember the words of the prophet: "Love your neighbour, do good to them who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you - it'll drive them crazy."

Chinafoot

The Muppet wrote:

It made so angry you considered writing a letter EH.

ok wasnt actually being serious about the letter thing....it was a joke since i know i sound like some aul one, moaning about the guards. :rolleyes:

i was just very surprised thats all, more so about the guard dragging the kid over the wall just for laughing.

meh

Caesar_Bojangle

I second the "she fancied you" notion.

I reckon the male cop fancied you but was too shy to ask for your number outright, so he got the female cop to do it for him.