Garda Checkpoints

Mysticalman

Apologies if this is in the wrong section. I live in Rathfarnham in a fairly quiet council estate. There is only one way in and out of the estate by car. For the last year or so there has been frequent Garda checkpoints on the road into this estate. They will check for tax,insurance and drink driving. The checkpoints are getting more frequent recently,last wednesday and again today. I have never been in trouble in my life and have every respect for the Gardai. In my opinion they do a great job and deserve more credit. However I feel our estate is been targeted too much and perhaps the residents are being discriminated against. There is a private estate beside us but they never get stopped. Is this legal I wonder? Who should I get in touch with to voice my concerns? Thank you.

MagicSean

Write to the local Super/ complain to ombudsman / see a solicitor/ call Joe Duffy. 4 options for you there.

Mysticalman

I do believe it is a little unfair. I will take your advice. Thank you Sean.

MagicSean

It may be that it is the safest place to conduct a checkpoint on that stretch. Or it may be that they are looking for someone or something in particular. There are a number of possible reasons why they are keeping a presence there. I doubt it's for the purpose of targeting a council estate, unless there has been a riot or something there recently.

Mysticalman

Seanbeag1 wrote: »

It may be that it is the safest place to conduct a checkpoint on that stretch. Or it may be that they are looking for someone or something in particular. There are a number of possible reasons why they are keeping a presence there. I doubt it's for the purpose of targeting a council estate, unless there has been a riot or something there recently.

I don't know if you know the estate. It's Whitechurch estate. To get to it you have to go past the Grange Golf Club and down a hill to a roundabout. Whitechurch would be to the right and Grangebrook to the left. Grangebrook is the private estate with plenty of room for a checkpoint but never happens. But if you carry around the roundabout to the right into Whitecurch you get stopped. If you come out of Whitechurch you can get stopped. No trouble there recently as far as I know.

Del2005

Perhaps they are trying to catch someone they know is driving illegally/ involved in illegal activity who lives in your estate.

angeline

There really is no keeping some people happy. I would be delighted with a Garda presence in my estate, less burglaries, etc. And, the checkpoint is legal......but, if you're still not happy with the Garda presence, you really should make a complaint....

Mysticalman

angeline wrote: »

There really is no keeping some people happy. I would be delighted with a Garda presence in my estate, less burglaries, etc. And, the checkpoint is legal......but, if you're still not happy with the Garda presence, you really should make a complaint....

Angeline a police presence is always welcome but to target this estate and not the private estate is perhaps discrimination. Tonight they had 4 cars pulled in with Guards with their notebooks out. Two of the drivers were very respectable looking ladies and the other two were elderly men. No gurriers. Why not stop the peope coming out of the private estate?

Bosco boy

Mysticalman wrote: »

angeline wrote: »

There really is no keeping some people happy. I would be delighted with a Garda presence in my estate, less burglaries, etc. And, the checkpoint is legal......but, if you're still not happy with the Garda presence, you really should make a complaint....

Angeline a police presence is always welcome but to target this estate and not the private estate is perhaps discrimination. Tonight they had 4 cars pulled in with Guards with their notebooks out. Two of the drivers were very respectable looking ladies and the other two were elderly men. No gurriers. Why not stop the peope coming out of the private estate?

many of our worst recent criminals were so called respectables in suits!

Mysticalman

Bosco boy wrote: »

many of our worst recent criminals were so called respectables in suits!

Good one Bosco:D

Mysticalman

Del2005 wrote: »

Perhaps they are trying to catch someone they know is driving illegally/ involved in illegal activity who lives in your estate.

Maybe Del...but surely if they know him/her why not follow him/her out and then stop them. It's not fair on the rest of the estate this constant harassment. I was talking to an old lady whose tax was out of date yesterday and shes afraid to leave the estate. I reasurred that she will get a week or twos grace.

Del2005

Mysticalman wrote: »

Angeline a police presence is always welcome but to target this estate and not the private estate is perhaps discrimination. Tonight they had 4 cars pulled in with Guards with their notebooks out. Two of the drivers were very respectable looking ladies and the other two were elderly men. No gurriers. Why not stop the peope coming out of the private estate?

Mysticalman wrote: »

Maybe Del...but surely if they know him/her why not follow him/her out and then stop them. It's not fair on the rest of the estate this constant harassment.

If they got 4 people driving illegally, in one checkpoint regardless of how well dressed or not they are, then they are doing a good job. And if they get 4 people in one checkpoint then why wouldn't they keep going back.

Maybe the reason why they are constantly doing the checkpoint there, apart from catching offenders, and not around the corner is because there's no way to avoid it without making it obvious once you come onto the roundabout.

Mysticalman wrote: »

I was talking to an old lady whose tax was out of date yesterday and shes afraid to leave the estate. I reasurred that she will get a week or twos grace.

Since it's illegal to drive without tax, that I and many others pay, then fair balls to the Gardaí for doing their job. BTW there is no grace period, the typical Irish attitude of sure it'll do has an informal 3 month window to get your tax, your car can be lifted with the tax out 1 day.

source

Del2005 wrote: »

Since it's illegal to drive without tax, that I and many others pay, then fair balls to the GardaÃ* for doing their job. BTW there is no grace period, the typical Irish attitude of sure it'll do has an informal 3 month window to get your tax, your car can be lifted with the tax out 1 day.

Thats not right del, you can get a ticket if tax is out 1 day. The tax has to be out for over 2 months for the car to be lifted.

ScouseMouse

Mysticalman wrote: »

Angeline a police presence is always welcome but to target this estate and not the private estate is perhaps discrimination. Tonight they had 4 cars pulled in with Guards with their notebooks out. Two of the drivers were very respectable looking ladies and the other two were elderly men. No gurriers. Why not stop the peope coming out of the private estate?

If they had cause to pull in four cars, and thats only what you saw, then obviously, there is possible infringements there. This alone justifies their presence.

I know that estate, I worked there a few years ago, and within the decent honest people, there is a hardcore element of, dare I say, scum, and any police presence, will benefit the good, hard working residents.

I speak as someone who had a gun pulled upon, three days into a new job there.

Not to mention the absolute killing in the pub (in the past).

roast

OP, you strike me as one who would be complaining if there were no Garda presence at all. Be thankful for having peace of mind, why don't you.

What have you done that's making you so worried anyway? If you're an upstanding citizen who has nothing to hide, why do you want to get rid of them? :pac:

McCrack

I know that area and estate.

To be fair OP and I think you will agree this Garda activity has nothing to do with that estate being local authority but more to do with the fact that many undesirables come and go through there and have for as long as I remember.

I really cant see an issue here. It's pro-active policing making your area that you live in a bit safer.

PCPhoto

Mysticalman wrote: »

Angeline a police presence is always welcome but to target this estate and not the private estate is perhaps discrimination. Tonight they had 4 cars pulled in with Guards with their notebooks out. Two of the drivers were very respectable looking ladies and the other two were elderly men. No gurriers. Why not stop the peope coming out of the private estate?

by this logic they are discriminating against criminals when they are clearly targeting criminals in their work...maybe the gangland criminals should contact their (legal aid) solicitors and take the gardai to court for discrimination.

The gardai have a tough job to do - if they have success in an area they will more than likely target that area again, its the same logic to why the clampers are often in D4 (because the people caught there pay fast and dont complain) and rarely seen in the rougher areas of Dublin (because the clampers fear for their safety and the people caught will more than likely not pay or remove the clamp themselves)

PS. my GF's parents live in that estate and they have never complained about garda checkpoints.

Mysticalman

roast wrote: »

OP, you strike me as one who would be complaining if there were no Garda presence at all. Be thankful for having peace of mind, why don't you.

What have you done that's making you so worried anyway? If you're an upstanding citizen who has nothing to hide, why do you want to get rid of them? :pac:

Two questions for you Roast. How do I strike you as one who would be complaining if there were no Garda prescence at all? And what makes you think I have done something and have something to hide? I didnt say I wanted to get rid of them....I asked why they were not targeting the private estate.

roast

Mysticalman wrote: »

Two questions for you Roast. How do I strike you as one who would be complaining if there were no Garda prescence at all? And what makes you think I have done something and have something to hide? I didnt say I wanted to get rid of them....I asked why they were not targeting the private estate.

Because you're complaining about a good thing. I can't imagine what you'd be like if there was a valid thing to complain about.

The second part is a rhetorical question.

Mysticalman

PCPhoto wrote: »

by this logic they are discriminating against criminals when they are clearly targeting criminals in their work...maybe the gangland criminals should contact their (legal aid) solicitors and take the gardai to court for discrimination.

The gardai have a tough job to do - if they have success in an area they will more than likely target that area again, its the same logic to why the clampers are often in D4 (because the people caught there pay fast and dont complain) and rarely seen in the rougher areas of Dublin (because the clampers fear for their safety and the people caught will more than likely not pay or remove the clamp themselves)

PS. my GF's parents live in that estate and they have never complained about garda checkpoints.

Agreed the Gardai have a tough job to do,and I admire them. Do your GF's parents drive?

Mysticalman

roast wrote: »

Because you're complaining about a good thing. I can't imagine what you'd be like if there was a valid thing to complain about.

The second part is a rhetorical question.

I think your 2nd answer is better than your first:) No I rarely complain but I just thought just to make it fair and not to seem discriminatory why not have a checkpoint at bothsides of the roundabout. They would still catch whoever they were after anyway. For example if one estate was say(for arguements sake) full of african people and only they were stopped....there would be uproar.

Finnbar01

roast wrote: »

OP, you strike me as one who would be complaining if there were no Garda presence at all. Be thankful for having peace of mind, why don't you.

What have you done that's making you so worried anyway? If you're an upstanding citizen who has nothing to hide, why do you want to get rid of them? :pac:

What a load of bollix.

Paulw

Mysticalman wrote: »

I just thought just to make it fair and not to seem discriminatory why not have a checkpoint at bothsides of the roundabout. They would still catch whoever they were after anyway.

So, by that logic, if they setup where they do, they will also catch whoever they are after?

You're only complaint is about which side of the roundabout they are on???? They are obviously not discriminating since they are stopping and catching people breaking the law. Fair play to them.

I wish they were at the roundabout at the entrance to our estate frequently.

HellFireClub

Mysticalman wrote: »

Apologies if this is in the wrong section. I live in Rathfarnham in a fairly quiet council estate. There is only one way in and out of the estate by car. For the last year or so there has been frequent Garda checkpoints on the road into this estate. They will check for tax,insurance and drink driving. The checkpoints are getting more frequent recently,last wednesday and again today. I have never been in trouble in my life and have every respect for the Gardai. In my opinion they do a great job and deserve more credit. However I feel our estate is been targeted too much and perhaps the residents are being discriminated against. There is a private estate beside us but they never get stopped. Is this legal I wonder? Who should I get in touch with to voice my concerns? Thank you.

There is of course the other side of the coin here, as much as this appears to be annoying you, there must be an equal benefit in having such a regular Garda presence outside your estate, in relation to house robberies, car thefts, etc...

ScouseMouse

Jesus, when I worked in whitechurch, we wished we could have a regular garda presence.