Gardai should lead by example

Saab Ed

Just thought i'd bring this up. Everytime I see a Garda car driving Irresponsibly it really gets my blood boiling. On one occasion I watched what was a blantant abuse of power by the driver of a garda jeep who pretty much did what he wanted while also towing a trailer. There was driving in bus lane, cutting into lanes, hard shoulder a Blanchardstown was the best one.

But yet when I posted here I was hammered by guards who told they were exempt from the road traffic act, in effect a free pass to drive how ever they wanted should the cap fit. I suggested plenty of situations were I'd witnesed Garda cars driving carelessly but each time I was shot down. Seems I was wrong .......or was I !!!!! Well not according to this 2008 report which i've found and it pretty much says that unless Guards are chassing you then they should be driving like everyone else.

http://www.gsinsp.ie/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=55&Itemid=53

Page 19, a recomendation specifically states .....

"Police officers operating Garda vehicles must

provide a positive example for other road users

and management should develop policies to ensure

such is the case. In non-emergency situations,

police officers should fully comply with the rules
of the road in the operation of vehicles, observing
speed limits, traffic signals and refraining from the

use of mobile phones while driving"

In other words unless you're after somebody then drive like the rest of us. You might be exempt from the law but the law is there because doing stupid things in a car is a stupid thing to do. Exemption doesnt make it any less stupid and wont get much respect from Joe Public either.

I thank you , Good night

-Corkie-

They are constantly chasing the donought man in case you didnt know..

IBTL.

mickdw

It can be quite sickening some of the crap they get up to on the road.

Saab Ed

-Corkie- wrote: »

IBTL.

Dont know why it should be. I aint ranting, im just pointing out , in the interest of the motorist, that guards are supposed to drive in accordance with the rules that govern the rest of us while not in pusuit.

MugMugs

Saab Ed wrote: »

-Corkie- wrote: »

IBTL.

Dont know why it should be. I aint ranting, im just pointing out , in the interest of the motorist, that guards are supposed to drive in accordance with the rules that govern the rest of us while not in pusuit.

There's a thread running on this in AH

-Corkie-

Saab Ed wrote: »

Dont know why it should be. I aint ranting, im just pointing out , in the interest of the motorist, that guards are supposed to drive in accordance with the rules that govern the rest of us while not in pusuit.

I know that but these threads normally desend into Garda bashing threads after a few pages..:)

I read on another forum where a motorist spotted a traffic corps jeep reversing down the H/S of a motorway because she missed the slip road..:rolleyes:

Tigger

i find the garda to be decent enough on the road and towards other road users

Saab Ed

-Corkie- wrote: »

I read on another forum where a motorist spotted a traffic corps jeep reversing down the H/S of a motorway because she missed the slip road..:rolleyes:

:eek:

No its not a specific garda bashing thread I want to start but I do see your point. I hate an injustice and even more an abuse of power no matter by who in what ever walk of life.

EPM

Did you report the instances where you saw reckless driving by AGS? As this will no doubt descend into another AGS bashing thread I'm curious as to whether it was reported or just ranted about on boards.

Saab Ed

Just ranted about on boards i'm afraid. I got down of my high horse fairly lively thought after getting a bloody nose from lots of guards in here. I just felt a little even up of the scores was needed. All garda response very welcome I might add, i'm sure most of them drive properly.

MugMugs

He is entitled to drive in Bus Lanes. He is entitled to drive as he see fits. in fact, if he wants to stop at a red light with the twos and blues going then he can do that too.

You don't know where he was going or why he was going there or for any of the reasons he made any of the lane changes he did. You can't judge him.

If he had hit you then he would be accountable but he didn't so just deal with it and take your anti Garda sentiment with you!

Saab Ed

MugMugs wrote: »

He is entitled to drive in Bus Lanes. He is entitled to drive as he see fits. in fact, if he wants to stop at a red light with the twos and blues going then he can do that too.

You don't know where he was going or why he was going there or for any of the reasons he made any of the lane changes he did. You can't judge him.

If he had hit you then he would be accountable but he didn't so just deal with it and take your anti Garda sentiment with you!

Well on your first point about being entitled to drive in the bus lane, well according to this 2008 report he's not entitled to be there, hence the point of my orginal post so you're wromg there.

Secondly I dont have any anti garda sentiment , here's my original post from about 2 years ago when the incident happened .....http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055471784&page=2 ..... its not about guards you see, its about it being dangerous and wrong

the culture of deference

I remember a few years ago a female garda parked her car on the pavement between the chancery street courts and the motor tax office, and went into court. She caused a huge traffic jam, some paper had a photo of it.

MugMugs

Your quote of that report says nothing about bus lanes. Like I said, you don't know why they are doing what they are doing and frankly you have no right to either. If they require the use of a bus lane in the course of their duty then they should be permitted its use without justification.

Bosco boy

Saab Ed wrote: »

MugMugs wrote: »

He is entitled to drive in Bus Lanes. He is entitled to drive as he see fits. in fact, if he wants to stop at a red light with the twos and blues going then he can do that too.

You don't know where he was going or why he was going there or for any of the reasons he made any of the lane changes he did. You can't judge him.

If he had hit you then he would be accountable but he didn't so just deal with it and take your anti Garda sentiment with you!

Well on your first point about being entitled to drive in the bus lane, well according to this 2008 report he's not entitled to be there, hence the point of my orginal post so you're wromg there.

Secondly I dont have any anti garda sentiment , here's my original post from about 2 years ago when the incident happened .....http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055471784&page=2 ..... its not about guards you see, its about it being dangerous and wrong

if it's not about guards why haven't you posted about other alleged bad driving you must see on a regular basis. You are starting a Garda bashing thread but you haven't got the guts to admit it. I hate whingers and you sir are a whinger

Saab Ed

MugMugs wrote: »

Your quote of that report says nothing about bus lanes. Like I said, you don't know why they are doing what they are doing and frankly you have no right to either. If they require the use of a bus lane in the course of their duty then they should be permitted its use without justification.

" police officers should fully comply with the rules
of the road in the operation of vehicles "

Its doesnt say you shouldnt race some skanger in a Honda Civic from the traffic lights either but most people will get he jist...unless that is you just want to argue that black is white in which case you win. Like I said I'm not here to garda bash. Anyway off to bed with me, enjoy

Saab Ed

Bosco boy wrote: »

if it's not about guards why haven't you posted about other alleged bad driving you must see on a regular basis. You are starting a Garda bashing thread but you haven't got the guts to admit it. I hate whingers and you sir are a whinger

Okay I'll make this simple. Would you agree with the report ?

Bosco boy

Saab Ed wrote: »

Bosco boy wrote: »

if it's not about guards why haven't you posted about other alleged bad driving you must see on a regular basis. You are starting a Garda bashing thread but you haven't got the guts to admit it. I hate whingers and you sir are a whinger

Okay I'll make this simple. Would you agree with the report ?

whingers love reports, the vehicle involved may have been a water unit jeep as it was pulling a trailer, they travel the country everyday dealing with tragedys that often don't make headlines. It's quite possible the driver was on a call / job. The driving sounds to me like progressive driving which is part of the advanced driving course but you wouldn't understand. Get a life and move on! By the way you didn't answer my previous question!

Saab Ed

Bosco boy wrote: »

, the vehicle involved may have been a water unit jeep as it was pulling a trailer, they travel the country everyday dealing with tragedys that often don't make headlines. It's quite possible the driver was on a call / job.!

Or he was was just abusing his position of power. ( we know that's happened alot in this country , nobody mention Donegal ) I guess we'll never know :cool:

Just one last thing, poniting out what I see as an injustice, dangerous and down right stupid does not constitute Garda bashing, it amounts to pointing out that somebody has done something dangerous and stupid. I've argued many a point on this forum about lots of different subjects and plenty of other forums too. Why is it that it's a discussion when Guards arent involved yet its bashing when they are. Grow up will you, they drove back to the station and parked up. I drive properly ( no points , no convictions, ) you most likely you do to. But how do we expect does who dont respect rules of the road to learn if those who uphold the law dont practice what the preach.

PS- Are you a guard ?

savagecabbages

Saab Ed wrote: »

Or he was was just abusing his position of power. ( we know that's happened alot in this country , nobody mention Donegal ) I guess we'll never know :cool:

Just one last thing, poniting out what I see as an injustice, dangerous and down right stupid does not constitute Garda bashing, it amounts to pointing out that somebody has done something dangerous and stupid. I've argued many a point on this forum about lots of different subjects and plenty of other forums too. Why is it that it's a discussion when Guards arent involved yet its bashing when they are. Grow up will you, they drove back to the station and parked up. I drive properly ( no points , no convictions, ) you most likely you do to. But how do we expect does who dont respect rules of the road to learn if those who uphold the law dont practice what the preach.

PS- Are you a guard ?

Would you have started a thread if it wasn't a Garda vehicle? And did you report this dangerous driving(if it even is dangerous driving...), or is coming onto boards and complaining about it without actually doing anything helping you sleep tonight?

Anan1

MugMugs wrote: »

He is entitled to drive in Bus Lanes. He is entitled to drive as he see fits. in fact, if he wants to stop at a red light with the twos and blues going then he can do that too.

You don't know where he was going or why he was going there or for any of the reasons he made any of the lane changes he did. You can't judge him.

Sure we can, he works for us. I have the greatest of respect for the often thankless job the Gardaí do, but I still expect them to follow our rules when doing the job that we pay them for. It worries me when people argue against accountability for police forces - their ability to do the job safely & effectively hinges in large part on the respect & support of the public they serve.

MugMugs

For your information, a vast majority of Gardai do not have an advanced driving course and drive using what's called "chiefs permission"
On a another note, emergency vehicles are entitled to use Bus Lanes, not just when its an emergency.

If you were so concerned about how a member of An Garda Siochana was behaving in a motor vehicle, why did you not report them for it? Why are you not generalizing about another group? Let's say, Mondeo Men? Or little old ladies in a Micra? Or even white van men! Nobody likes them! Why are you starting a thread about the conduct of the Gardai and their supposed law breaking on an internet forum and insisting that your not attempting to inflame Garda Bashing?

Duckjob

Anan1 wrote: »

Sure we can, he works for us. I have the greatest of respect for the often thankless job the Gardaí do, but I still expect them to follow our rules when doing the job that we pay them for. It worries me when people argue against accountability for police forces - their ability to do the job safely & effectively hinges in large part on the respect & support of the public they serve.

^^ This

I also respect gardai in general and I think on the whole they do a difficult job well, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea that any police force should be above scrutiny.

On another point, usually when somebody posts up a report of a seeing a guard doing x, y or z on the road, the stock response is that "they're entitled to do that". Point is - just because your job entitles to do something in your job doesn't mean you should abuse that entitlement-

- Just because your job allows you to park anywhere you like doesn't mean you should park at a prohibited spot on a busy main road while you head in to order a pizza.

- just because your job allows you to use a mobile while driving doesn't mean you SHOULD drive home yakking on the phone to your mates about meeting up the rugby game later.

- Just because your job allows you to jump red lights doesn't mean you should just because you don't feel like waiting.

Bosco boy

Saab Ed wrote: »

Bosco boy wrote: »

, the vehicle involved may have been a water unit jeep as it was pulling a trailer, they travel the country everyday dealing with tragedys that often don't make headlines. It's quite possible the driver was on a call / job.!

Or he was was just abusing his position of power. ( we know that's happened alot in this country , nobody mention Donegal ) I guess we'll never know :cool:

Just one last thing, poniting out what I see as an injustice, dangerous and down right stupid does not constitute Garda bashing, it amounts to pointing out that somebody has done something dangerous and stupid. I've argued many a point on this forum about lots of different subjects and plenty of other forums too. Why is it that it's a discussion when Guards arent involved yet its bashing when they are. Grow up will you, they drove back to the station and parked up. I drive properly ( no points , no convictions, ) you most likely you do to. But how do we expect does who dont respect rules of the road to learn if those who uphold the law dont practice what the preach.

PS- Are you a guard ?

yes, what do you work at? I may have a few thoughts on how perfect your profession is.

Anan1

Bosco boy wrote: »

yes, what do you work at? I may have a few thoughts on how perfect your profession is.

I'm a little confused here. Do you accept that all serving Gardaí need to follow this, or do you reject the authority of the Garda Inspectorate?


http://www.gsinsp.ie/index2.php?opti...d=55&Itemid=53

Page 19, a recomendation specifically states .....

"Police officers operating Garda vehicles must

provide a positive example for other road users
and management should develop policies to ensure
such is the case. In non-emergency situations,
police officers should fully comply with the rules
of the road in the operation of vehicles, observing
speed limits, traffic signals and refraining from the
use of mobile phones while driving"

EPM

Thread temp locked pending discussion with other mods.

EPM

Posts by challengemaster and VolvoMan deleted.

Any posts that are deemed to be inflammatory will be deleted without warning by the mods.

We've had similar topics to this in the past and they usually descend into Garda bashing. The first hint of that from now on and there will be infractions and bans.

166man

I have great respect for the Gardai in Ireland as they have tough jobs dealing with the type of people that they come across.

However it does not give them the right to drive like idiots or talk on their mobile phone when driving, that just annoys members of the public, not to mention the dangerous aspect of it. They should obey the rules of the road like any other citizen when driving under normal circumstances and set an example for other road users to follow.

dr.fuzzenstein

It is clear that in the line of duty the Gardai must drive outside the rules.
It should also be clear that there should be strict guidelines as to when and how that would be the case.
When responding to a violent incident, armed robbery or bad road crash, the emergency services must be on the scene in the shortest time possible.
But "in the line of duty" and "responding to an emergency" should not include rescuing a kitten from a tree or ferrying breakfast rolls to the station.
I'd say this does make sense to anyone.
An earlier argument of "The Gardai should be allowed to do whatever they want without and scrutiny and responsibility" is just scary. I'm sure many militias in South American "democracies" operate like that and ever since FF where voted out we're actually trying to get away from this 3rd world banana republic image of absolute power and non-accountability of the public service.
The public service as a whole (including the Gardai) have been nurtured on a culture of somehow being superior, being non-accountable, having a guaranteed job and having to answer to no one.
This is a very outmoded and archaic way of thinking, the way forward is for everyone to be responsible and accountable for their actions, no one is above the law and everyone will be held responsible for mistakes they make.

RustyNut

Like most people I have the utmost respect for the gardai and the job that they do. I could not, for any amount of money do what they do and deal with what they have to deal with.

That being said some of the behaviour on the roads that I have witnessed is just dangerous to themselves and the public in general, I don't think this is really the fault of the average Garda but Garda management and policy setters who allow untrained drivers to engage in practices which are inherently dangerous such as phone use, pursuits etc.

They should be provided with the tools and training they need to do their job safely and supervised to prevent abuse of the exemptions from the law that they quite rightly require to do their job however all of the above appear to be lacking to some extent.

Saying this probably makes me a Garda basher, wonder why some are so defensive.?

Bosco boy

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

It is clear that in the line of duty the Gardai must drive outside the rules.
It should also be clear that there should be strict guidelines as to when and how that would be the case.
When responding to a violent incident, armed robbery or bad road crash, the emergency services must be on the scene in the shortest time possible.
But "in the line of duty" and "responding to an emergency" should not include rescuing a kitten from a tree or ferrying breakfast rolls to the station.
I'd say this does make sense to anyone.
An earlier argument of "The Gardai should be allowed to do whatever they want without and scrutiny and responsibility" is just scary. I'm sure many militias in South American "democracies" operate like that and ever since FF where voted out we're actually trying to get away from this 3rd world banana republic image of absolute power and non-accountability of the public service.
The public service as a whole (including the Gardai) have been nurtured on a culture of somehow being superior, being non-accountable, having a guaranteed job and having to answer to no one.
This is a very outmoded and archaic way of thinking, the way forward is for everyone to be responsible and accountable for their actions, no one is above the law and everyone will be held responsible for mistakes they make.

well it didn't take long to surface - private sector v public sector. No one on this forum knows what call the driver was on their way to. Every post is based on pure speculation, these threads are so full of whingers who jump to conclusions. The same people will whinge when they call the gardai and they don't arrive immediately, I bet if the despatcher said they will be with you in 2 hours as they have a backlog of calls due to heavy traffic you'd tell them what have they got sirens and lights for. The majority of the public I deal with are 100% but there are some prize tits out there with grievences and convictions and many thrive on these forums. People like the op should make a complaint of dangerous driving to the ombudsman, if they don't they defeat their arguement, as they say "**** or get off the pot!"

high horse

Bosco boy wrote: »

well it didn't take long to surface - private sector v public sector. No one on this forum knows what call the driver was on their way to. Every post is based on pure speculation, these threads are so full of whingers who jump to conclusions. The same people will whinge when they call the gardai and they don't arrive immediately, I bet if the despatcher said they will be with you in 2 hours as they have a backlog of calls due to heavy traffic you'd tell them what have they got sirens and lights for. The majority of the public I deal with are 100% but there are some prize tits out there with grievences and convictions and many thrive on these forums. People like the op should make a complaint of dangerous driving to the ombudsman, if they don't they defeat their arguement, as they say "**** or get off the pot!"

Neither do you! How can you defend something you don't even know?

If it's an emergency, the Garda car should have their lights on and if not they should drive within the rules of the road like the rest of us

Anan1

RustyNut wrote: »

Saying this probably makes me a Garda basher, wonder why some are so defensive.?

IMO this 'Garda bashing' thing is a complete red herring. It seems to be a stock response to any questioning of the behaviour of any Garda. Saab Ed asked a perfectly reasonable question, viz why some Gardaí are disregarding the recommendations of the Garda Inspectorate. The response of a serving Garda, rather than addressing the question, was to accuse him of cowardice and whinging. We've all gone out of our way to make clear the respect that we have for the Gardaí in general, but the question still stands: Why are some Gardaí disregarding the recommendations of the Garda Inspectorate? And why are some other Gardaí unwilling to condemn such practises?

EI_Flyboy

AGS are public servants. For the most part they operate in public view and as such should operate in a way that is acceptable to the public, kindly, courteously and in accordance with the law they are supposed to enforce. They shouldn't accuse those who believe such as being whingers. That's disgracefull and contemptible behaviour from someone who claims to be a member of AGS. I find it hard to believe that these views are prevalent amongst their ranks and as such I suspect heavy trolling/flaming and I have to wonder if impersonating a Gard on the internet is also a crime?

If a Garda vehicle is going to operate outside the rules of the road, it should utilise siren and/or beacons to warn other road users. To do otherwise is irresponsible, unsafe and corrupt.

Bosco boy

Anan1 wrote: »

RustyNut wrote: »

Saying this probably makes me a Garda basher, wonder why some are so defensive.?

IMO this 'Garda bashing' thing is a complete red herring. It seems to be a stock response to any questioning of the behaviour of any Garda. Saab Ed asked a perfectly reasonable question, viz why some Gardaí are disregarding the recommendations of the Garda Inspectorate. The response of a serving Garda, rather than addressing the question, was to accuse him of cowardice and whinging. We've all gone out of our way to make clear the respect that we have for the Gardaí in general, but the question still stands: Why are some Gardaí disregarding the recommendations of the Garda Inspectorate? And why are some other Gardaí unwilling to condemn such practises?

You are missing the point, the driving may well have been within the recommendations of the inspectorate, we don't know. I have no problem with the inspectorates recommendations and I have no problem with a tit in a patrol car being prosecuted. But the conclusions that are arrived at in these forums are by and large driven by grievences. Maybe the driver was able to make adquate progress without lights and sirens which often cause more difficulties.

Bosco boy

EI_Flyboy wrote: »

AGS are public servants. For the most part they operate in public view and as such should operate in a way that is acceptable to the public, kindly, courteously and in accordance with the law they are supposed to enforce. They shouldn't accuse those who believe such as being whingers. That's disgracefull and contemptible behaviour from someone who claims to be a member of AGS. I find it hard to believe that these views are prevalent amongst their ranks and as such I suspect heavy trolling/flaming and I have to wonder if impersonating a Gard on the internet is also a crime?

If a Garda vehicle is going to operate outside the rules of the road, it should utilise siren and/or beacons to warn other road users. To do otherwise is irresponsible, unsafe and corrupt.

there's a report button available to you, press it!

Anan1

Bosco boy wrote: »

I have no problem with the inspectorates recommendations and I have no problem with a tit in a patrol car being prosecuted.

That's good to hear, anyway.

Bosco boy wrote: »

You are missing the point, the driving may well have been within the recommendations of the inspectorate, we don't know.

Bosco boy wrote: »

But the conclusions that are arrived at in these forums are by and large driven by grievences. Maybe the driver was able to make adquate progress without lights and sirens which often cause more difficulties.

I'm afraid here I have to disagree. I've personally seen plenty of incidences of poor driving by Gardaí, most of which could best be described as lazy rather than bad. Whenever a Garda is seen to be breaking the rules just because they can they make life that much harder for all the other Gardaí trying to enforce those same rules. We have an unarmed police force, who operate with the support and respect of the vast majority of the population. IMO, accountability is central to maintaining respect for the Gardaí - and once we start losing that, we're all in trouble.

MagicSean

If you see a Garda driving in a way you feel to be unacceptable then make a complaint to the station or Ombudsman. Simple. That should clear this problem up.

Anan1

Seanbeag1 wrote: »

If you see a Garda driving in a way you feel to be unacceptable then make a complaint to the station or Ombudsman. Simple. That should clear this problem up.

Without meaning to sound smart, it's not my job to keep an eye on the Gardaí. We need systems in place to ensure that they keep within the law.

audidiesel

high horse wrote: »

If it's an emergency, the Garda car should have their lights on and if not they should drive within the rules of the road like the rest of us

just to point out a fact. there is no requirement for the guards to use lights and sirens and it is not always possible for them to do so.

if they are approaching a call with a suspect present, it is counter productive to give warnings by using them.

its one of several things that individual drivers have to take into consideration.

at the end of the day, ye wont know if they are responding to a call or driving poorly (it is a possibility). But if you have issues then contact the ombudsman or else live with it.

audidiesel

Anan1 wrote: »

Without meaning to sound smart, it's not my job to keep an eye on the Gardaí. We need systems in place to ensure that they keep within the law.

so you want to hire someone to sit in a patrol car and monitor guards driving? :rolleyes:

thats the only way you can factor in all aspects. if you arent present then you dont know what your talking about. harsh but true

Keith186

I believe the Gardai should have some lee way with rules of the road in a non emergency situation such as driving in the bus lane. It's unproductive for them to be sitting in traffic at the tax payers expense really. You could say the same about other non emergency public workers but I wouldn't want to extend any lee way to them seeing as the Gardai are providing an emergency service for the public.
In fairness to the Gardai I don't see them doing bad driving/breaking the rules half as much as the general public.

I've a good example where if a Garda was leading by example I would have followed his lead and not done what I did.
I was following a garda bike on my own bike and when we got near the lights there were 3 cars in front off us. Naturally enough he skipped to the front of the queue as most bikes do. There was solid white line and I thought about and said 'ah sure it'll be grand' he just drove across it himself he won't say anything. Bike would've been sticking out by a foot over the line, no biggie, plenty of space on the other side and there was no on coming traffic.

So I followed him to the front of the 3 cars but he was watching me and he made me pull over. He had a bad attitude from the start and was trying to be intimidating (which annoyed me so I decided to press him a little about doing the same thing) and gave out to me for crossing the white line which was fairly hypocritical. I told him he just done the same thing so it couldn't be that big a deal, this pissed him off. He was repeating pretty aggressively 'THIS IS AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE' and so on, so I said to him if you're in an emergency why did you stop at the lights? If it's not an emergency it's just a vehicle. He was majorly pissed off now and had to find something else to give out to me about, so he said my number plate was dirty and he couldn't read it as easy as the plates on other near by cars. If I didn't clean it there and then he'd give me a ticket he said.

I'm not sure why he didn't give me penalty points for crossing the white line seeing as I made him so angry. Maybe he realised it would've been very hypocritical?

Anyway, just goes to show that if he followed the rules of the road I would have too and he wouldn't have had to waste his time on me. If he didn't have such an attitude either I would have said 'fair enough Gard won't happen again', he wouldn't have ended up so angry and shouting then.

MagicSean

Anan1 wrote: »

Without meaning to sound smart, it's not my job to keep an eye on the Gardaí. We need systems in place to ensure that they keep within the law.

The complaints procedure is the system.

Tigger

Bosco boy wrote: »

well it didn't take long to surface - private sector v public sector. No one on this forum knows what call the driver was on their way to. Every post is based on pure speculation, these threads are so full of whingers who jump to conclusions. The same people will whinge when they call the gardai and they don't arrive immediately, I bet if the despatcher said they will be with you in 2 hours as they have a backlog of calls due to heavy traffic you'd tell them what have they got sirens and lights for. The majority of the public I deal with are 100% but there are some prize tits out there with grievences and convictions and many thrive on these forums. People like the op should make a complaint of dangerous driving to the ombudsman, if they don't they defeat their arguement, as they say "**** or get off the pot!"

why do you bother with those type here tho?
no need to let it bother you in my opinion

Anan1

audidiesel wrote: »

so you want to hire someone to sit in a patrol car and monitor guards driving? :rolleyes:

thats the only way you can factor in all aspects. if you arent present then you dont know what your talking about. harsh but true

We're already paying people to sit in every patrol car and enforce the law, are we not?;) Do you remember how, years ago, nobody would dream of shopping a friend for driving drunk? Cultures can be changed - if the point can be got across that these people are letting the force (and therefore their colleagues) down, then it might become less prevalent.

EI_Flyboy

Bosco boy wrote: »

there's a report button available to you, press it!

Unfortunately that wouldn't report you to your superiors(if you are a Gard). It's all well and good for you to share your beleif that the Gards are above the law on here where you are anonymous but you are damaging their credibility. If I had your name and shoulder number, I'd gladly report you to the ombudsman and your superiors.

Am I to believe that this conduct is representative of our police force? Is this the usual level the Gards conduct themselves at on these boards...?

Tigger

Anan1 wrote: »

Do you remember how, years ago, nobody would dream of shopping a friend for driving drunk? .

are you saying you'd shop a mate for driving drunk?

ACcording to members of AGS on here badge flashing at drink drive checkpoints doesn't occur either

MagicSean

EI_Flyboy wrote: »

Unfortunately that wouldn't report you to your superiors(if you are a Gard). It's all well and good for you to share your beleif that the Gards are above the law on here where you are anonymous but you are damaging their credibility. If I had your name and shoulder number, I'd gladly report you to the ombudsman and your superiors.

Am I to believe that this conduct is representative of our police force? Is this the usual level the Gards conduct themselves at on these boards...?

You're being ridiculous. What would you report him for exactly? When it comes to Road Traffic Laws Gardaí are exempt from the law. That is the fact of it. There are a number of reasons for activating or not activating the sirens and lights. Leaving them on all the time would not be feasible. You cannot put hard and fast rules to cover every situation. It comes down to the drivers judgement. If you witness a Garda driving badly report him.

Tigger

EI_Flyboy wrote: »

Unfortunately that wouldn't report you to your superiors(if you are a Gard). It's all well and good for you to share your beleif that the Gards are above the law on here where you are anonymous but you are damaging their credibility. If I had your name and shoulder number, I'd gladly report you to the ombudsman and your superiors.

Am I to believe that this conduct is representative of our police force? Is this the usual level the Gards conduct themselves at on these boards...?

this is crazy

report him for what
arguing with people online?

the garda use bus lanes to keep moving in traffic

so do taxis ffs

Tigger

Seanbeag1 wrote: »

There are a number of reasons for activating or not activating the sirens and lights..

i've driven a car with lights and sirens (cardiac response) and often they just make people act stupid or stand on their brakes

sometimes its easier without them on