Is the NW a dangerous place to go out at the weekend.

jimmycrackcorm

I was just reflecting on the difference in going out in dublin and in the NW. When I go out in Dublin city centre, despite the throngs of people, I will barely see a Garda out. Yet a few weeks ago I was out in Bundoran and on coming out of a club there was a Garda Van and three patrol cars waiting.
Out in Letterkenny you can't stand anywhere for five minutes without a Garda passing by. So does this tell us something...?

muffler

Dublin city centre is less than 2 or 3 minutes from quite a few of the Garda stations so they dont have to be sitting in the street waiting for something to happen.

Letterkenny, Donegal Town, Bundoran etc are a bit more isolated and extra Gardai are drafted into these areas at the weekends so I would imagine a good few of them spend their time driving around. Could also be that superintendents have different policing policies.

Personally I think the NW is no better or worse than anywhere else at the weekends

Gillie

muffler wrote:

Dublin city centre is less than 2 or 3 minutes from quite a few of the Garda stations so they dont have to be sitting in the street waiting for something to happen.

Letterkenny, Donegal Town, Bundoran etc are a bit more isolated and extra Gardai are drafted into these areas at the weekends so I would imagine a good few of them spend their time driving around. Could also be that superintendents have different policing policies.

Personally I think the NW is no better or worse than anywhere else at the weekends

Agreed. There are bad elements in every town in Ireland.
Alcohol is the catalyst!

Rudolph Claus

Dublin city centre is less than 2 or 3 minutes from quite a few of the Garda stations so they dont have to be sitting in the street waiting for something to happen.

Such a statement to come out with :rolleyes:
Should the lazy geits not be out patrolling the area they`re supposed to be policing to help deter incidents. A garda standing on a street could be the difference in some numpty deciding whether or not to give an innocent walker-by a random thump to the head or something more serious.

muffler

Nuttzy wrote:

Such a statement to come out with :rolleyes:
Should the lazy geits not be out patrolling the area they`re supposed to be policing to help deter incidents. A garda standing on a street could be the difference in some numpty deciding whether or not to give an innocent walker-by a random thump to the head or something more serious.

Listen mate - I was giving my thoughts on jimmycrackcorm's post that there were virtually no gardai presence in Dublin city centre. I didnt say that was a fact so dont go ranting at me

jimmycrackcorm

Pearse Street station is as close to temple bar as Letterkenny Garda station is to the port road. Likewise Bundoran station to where I was out there.

The most policed area in dublin seems to be the Texaco garage at the foxhunter in Lucan. No surprise there as it is practically a Garda Canteen.

Perhaps the wily north-westerners are not afraid of biting off more than they can chew.

il gatto

I think it very much depends on your age group, sex and modus operandi. If you're forty odd, go to a regular pub and get a taxi home from the door, chances are you'll rarely encounter any sort of assault or intimidation. On the other hand, if you're late teens/early twenties, go to big disco bars, on to a club and then head for a takeaway before waiting 45mins at a taxi rank, you will almost certainly witness a fight/assault regularly and may occasionally be unfortunate enough to be the target.
I don't think you put in for it being out on the streets at night. Everyone should feel safe at any time of the day or night, but unfortunately casual violence has become a constant on our streets on busy nights, and by being there, you're more at risk.
I also think different towns have different types of problems. In Sligo, a certain type of scumbag gangs up in a group, picks a fight with a lone stranger and kicks them about. In Bundoran, groups from different areas start a mini faction fight. This is because Bundoran attracts clientelle from a vast area such as Tyrone, Fermanagh, Sligo etc. and some people go there with the intention of starting a brawl. It's no reflection on the locals as it seems to be the mobs arriving in mini buses who raise hell and then head home. It's no reflection on those counties either. There is a certain element who travel to Bundoran with the intention of causing trouble, but half a dozen troublemakers can cause alot of fights.
Most fights are spur of the moment things, but the more premeditated ones are truly sickening.
There is a problem. With such a sparse population compared to Dublin, it really should be policed alot better. It's not a problem specific to the NW though. It's nationwide.

donegalman1

For all the Gardai in Letterkenny and Bundoran, they quite often miss or intentionally avoid the trouble when it does occur.

Entertainment is the biggest employer in both these towns and as big contributors to the local economies, I don't see it as anything other than acceptable that resources are put into policing this.

Both towns attract a large Northern Ireland trade which regretably like the roads often brings people from another juristriction who belive they can get away with a lot here, sadly, they are not mistaken at present.

Nationwide the point is missed. It is an offence to serve anybody drunk. It can be prosecutable to be drunk and/or disorderly.

jimmycrackcorm

donegalman1 wrote:

Both towns attract a large Northern Ireland trade which regretably like the roads often brings people from another juristriction who belive they can get away with a lot here, sadly, they are not mistaken at present.

I recall the days, back when scorpios was still open, when there were literally dozens of buses coming to Letterkenny at the weekend and I distinctly feel that it wasn't as risky then as the stories I hear nowadays.

il gatto

It might be a bit of a paradox, but back in the day there were good natured fist fights. Someone fell over and there it ended.
Nowadays, someone falls over and this is swiftly followed up by a severe kicking, possibly to the head, depending on the caliber of scumbag involved.
One incident I witnessed involved a Polish guy who was turned away from a nightclub. He was drunk and surly, and as he walked down the street, brushed by someone. He made some remark and the other guy (local) answered back. The Polish guy went to punch him, but the local grabbed his jacket by the shoulders and swung him around. The Polish man fell out on the road, splitting his head just as a taxi swerved and braked to avoid crushing his skull.
As he lay there bleeding and unconcious beside the wheel of the taxi, another local, about 19 or 20 years old, who had spotted the incident from 20 yards down the street, ran back up the road and gave the lifeless man an almighty kick in the guts with a pair of Caterpiller boots. He then turned and casually walked away. He didn't even know the local guy who was involved. He just saw an oppurtunity to injure someone, and took it. It was a horrible example of the level of disregard for the lives of others these days.
This sort of thing is now a regular occurance on the streets at night, but as it no longer merits attention even from local media, many people don't realise the seriousness of the problem.

smashey

il gatto wrote:

It might be a bit of a paradox, but back in the day there were good natured fist fights. Someone fell over and there it ended.
Nowadays, someone falls over and this is swiftly followed up by a severe kicking, possibly to the head, depending on the caliber of scumbag involved.
One incident I witnessed involved a Polish guy who was turned away from a nightclub. He was drunk and surly, and as he walked down the street, brushed by someone. He made some remark and the other guy (local) answered back. The Polish guy went to punch him, but the local grabbed his jacket by the shoulders and swung him around. The Polish man fell out on the road, splitting his head just as a taxi swerved and braked to avoid crushing his skull.
As he lay there bleeding and unconcious beside the wheel of the taxi, another local, about 19 or 20 years old, who had spotted the incident from 20 yards down the street, ran back up the road and gave the lifeless man an almighty kick in the guts with a pair of Caterpiller boots. He then turned and casually walked away. He didn't even know the local guy who was involved. He just saw an oppurtunity to injure someone, and took it. It was a horrible example of the level of disregard for the lives of others these days.
This sort of thing is now a regular occurance on the streets at night, but as it no longer merits attention even from local media, many people don't realise the seriousness of the problem.

Did you tell this to the Gardai?

donegalman1

Back in the day people drank pints not rocket fuel in the form of Red Bull and Vodka or the alco pops, not to mention cocktails.

Also theres more money to spend on these high octane drinks!!!

jimmycrackcorm

donegalman1 wrote:

Back in the day people drank pints not rocket fuel in the form of Red Bull and Vodka or the alco pops, not to mention cocktails.

Also theres more money to spend on these high octane drinks!!!

Probably hitting the nail well on the head there. I also think there's a bit of tribalism going on too - like the Killygordon boys taking on the Liscooley sullies..

il gatto

smashey wrote:

Did you tell this to the Gardai?

The Gardaí were informed and an ambulance arrived for the man. The Guards half-heartedly took a couple of statements and proceded to forget about the incident. They made no follow up enquiries and nobody was ever brought to justice. This is the usual state of affairs. Two murders in Sligo in 2005 and not one person charged to this day.

smashey

il gatto wrote:

The Gardaí were informed and an ambulance arrived for the man. The Guards half-heartedly took a couple of statements and proceded to forget about the incident. They made no follow up enquiries and nobody was ever brought to justice. This is the usual state of affairs. Two murders in Sligo in 2005 and not one person charged to this day.

Stop giving a politician type answer. My question was, did you tell the Gardai? After all, you were an eye witness and could have given a good description.

muffler

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

I also think there's a bit of tribalism going on too - like the Killygordon boys taking on the Liscooley sullies..

Right idea Jimmy about the tribalism but wrong in relation to the towns/villages

il gatto

smashey wrote:

Stop giving a politician type answer. My question was, did you tell the Gardai? After all, you were an eye witness and could have given a good description.

I don't appreciate the tone of your post, but seeing as you asked, yes, I did. Not only that, but I informed the Guards that I had photos of the perpetrators (why, I won't say) and that should they want them, I would see that they got them. I have on occasion presented the Gardaí with video footage of incidents which have not been followed up either.
I am not one of those people to whine and complain about things and do nothing to help fix the problem. I often contact Gardaí, be it cattle on the road, meeting someone driving on the wrong side of the dual carriage way, or, as in this case, an assault. In fact, I feel it a necessity, as otherwise the Guards seem to do very little on their own inititive.

jimmycrackcorm

And now I read in the Donegal News about some guy critically ill after being attacked at the Back Road in Letterkenny. A strange case of life imitating post...

donegalman1

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

And now I read in the Donegal News about some guy critically ill after being attacked at the Back Road in Letterkenny. A strange case of life imitating post...

Yeah but its a sign of Letterkenny that it gets a big mention in Donegal Papers whereas a small colum in Dublin if the same circumstances exsited.

Gillie

donegalman1 wrote:

Yeah but its a sign of Letterkenny that it gets a big mention in Donegal Papers whereas a small colum in Dublin if the same circumstances exsited.

??? What are you saying? Would you prefer if it was in the National Papers?

Got the shít kicked outta me one nite outside the pulse! (I got in a few shots! Then I threw a punch or two:D ) but it wasn't local lads to be fair! They were out to fight anyone that nite!

Anyway. It did not put me off going out in Letterkenny!

K-9

I think what Donegalman1 was getting at is that a fella attacked albeit viciously (I read yesterday that he is stable and recovering) is big news for the Local Donegal Press. U hear as well of people getting their ears bitten, phones stolen, muggings etc. These are big enough stories to get into the local press (of which there must be 6/7 titles every week now) Often it is the same news repeated in these which makes it seem worse. Incidents like these wouldn't be reported as much in the Dublin Press. They would be considered minor assaults whereas they are quite serious here.

Crime rates are going up everywhere including Letterkenny but it is still quite a low crime area (Per Head) in relation to Dublin. I think having alot of Guards outside nightclubs actually shows how serious the Guards take this time of the night and the attacks that can occur. It is the areas where attacks are likely to happen and indeed do in front of the Guards! Eejits! There wouldn't be as many guards in Temple Bar say because it's not as big an issue in Dublin. Drug war shootings, major drug busts, robberies, joyriding etc. are on a far bigger scale than here.

So in a way having the Guards outside Nightclubs kind of shows that is the most that is concerning them at that time of night. Not condoning it but it could be alot worse. Probably the few times u hear about assaults outside niteclubs in Dublin are when somebody is killed e.g. Annabelle's case and a few others come to mind.

The town/village rivalry was always there. I remember it 15 years ago and my brother had it 25 years ago. I do wonder do why its more violent now. Is it drink, drugs, TV, Computer games, machoism?

il gatto

Guards in Sligo avoid nightclubs at closing time. There's rarely a presence and if there is it's one or two who are remarkably short sighted when something happens.

Gillie

Seanies32 wrote:

The town/village rivalry was always there. I remember it 15 years ago and my brother had it 25 years ago. I do wonder do why its more violent now. Is it drink, drugs, TV, Computer games, machoism?

Bit of everything I suspect!
I think ppl have been "de-sensitized" (sp?) these days! Nothing shocks us anymore!
Except Irelands performance on Wednesday!:rolleyes: