Sunday world article by now ex garda

audidiesel

http://www.sundayworld.com/columnists/sw-irish-crime.php

Garda Rank and Vile

After five years on the front line Garda Niall O'Connor quit the job he loved last week...here he explains why and gives us a unique insight into a force that's at rock bottom and is close to collapse

In 2007 Cork journalist NIALL O'CONNOR joined the Garda Siochana, dreaming of a good career and of making a difference on the streets. But after five years facing down gangland criminals and dealing with the scum of society as well as its most tragic victims, he quit the job he loved in despair last week.
Here, he paints a chilling picture of a force on the brink of collapse under the weight of Government cuts and issues a warning to Justice Minister Alan Shatter to act before it is too late to save a police force in crisis.


PRIDE: But Niall O’Connor became disillusioned

I DODGED a sword attack from a crazed drunk father who threatened to kill his children. I ran into a burning building to try and save a trapped teenager from the deadly flames that threatened her life, while another occupant lay dying, impaled on the railings outside.

I performed CPR for 30 minutes on the body of a dead son as his family knelt beside me, sobbing and praying that God would save his life. I crawled underneath a van to see if there was any sign of life from the mutilated body of a drunken student who was trapped under the front axle.
I convinced people, overwhelmed with the horror of depression, to step back from the brink of suicide as they stood on bridges and quaysides.
Brutal



SOBERING: At a fatal shooting

I chased robbers and attackers in the brutal, failed housing projects of Limerick. I went toe to toe with the late-night, cocaine and drink-fuelled fighters outside fast food joints and pubs on the streets of one of Ireland's busiest cities. I rejoiced with parents when I broke the good news to them as missing kids were found safe and well, and fought back bitter tears when I told other families that their loved one was dead and would never come home.

I will never forget the sense of achievement after catching a burglar who stole from a house as a family slept upstairs. That night he had committed five other burglaries and was nearing home when he met me and another garda as we patrolled at 5.30 in the morning.
I took children into care from homes where maggots infested the kitchen sink. Infants doused in their own vomit and faeces, gaunt and thin from malnutrition, their junkie parents obsessed only with their next fix. I felt deep sadness for a little boy who watched his own mother cut her wrists in front of him. He cried and screamed "I love you mammy" as I walked him to the patrol van and took him to a better home.
I stared down and hassled drug kingpins and crime lords, pathetic men, who ordered the killings of innocent men such as Shane
Geoghegan and Roy Collins. Often they told me that they would kill my family, rape any girlfriend I had and burn down my house.
I caught drug dealers and thieves, wrestled with a junkie in the seconds after he attacked an 80-year-old great grandmother outside a shoe shop on a thronged street.
I was a police man. A Garda stationed in Henry Street in Limerick city.
Slashed



BRAVE: A garda is injured by a projectile

But last week I walked away from the job, sick and tired of being treated like my colleagues and I are the problem. My wages had been slashed and work place conditions reduced to managers playing political games in the hope that they would advance through the ranks.

All the while the bar-room scourges and radio show callers told my colleagues and I that we "were lucky to have a job".
Lucky? It was a regular occurrence to arrive for the start of my shift and not even have a patrol car to police one of the country's busiest and most dangerous districts. Worse still, gardaí in nearby rural districts were told not to go out on patrol, just so they could save petrol.
Inside their stations the bean counters ruled, while outside farmers were terrorised by gangs of marauding burglars. I was filled with anger when I saw well-known criminals laugh as we passed by them in a clapped-out Ford Focus, rattling and wheezing as it neared 300,000 kilometres.
I felt the sting of revulsion as local hoods boasted how they signed the dole and claimed extra disability payments for their vicious feral children on the basis that they were suffering from ADHD. Extra cash to pay for flatscreen televisions, playstations and holidays to Costa Del crime hang outs.
Burnt out and uncared for, young gardaí watch as criminals live the high life while they go home after their shift to families struggling to meet the normal expenses of everyday life.
Unarmed



LINE OF FIRE: Riot cops face violent thugs

I joined An Garda Siochana in 2007 after working in journalism for a number of years - full of enthusiasm, pride and a belief that I was going to achieve something other than make money for newspaper moguls. But I learned quickly that the brutal reality was that I was in a job that no-one cared for, a job for which there is little funding and even less respect for those who do its donkey work.

In the guards, unarmed uniformed regular cops are nicknamed "mules", because they do everything and carry the weight of the force on their shoulders. They are the men and women who respond to the 999 calls, who are first on scene to calls ranging in seriousness from a missing dog to a gangland murder.
Well those shoulders are shuddering under the weight of a job, that they feel, hates them. Even in a climate of austerity, it is an absurdity to think that the last organisation to be treated appropriately is the one which employs the people who defend our streets from those who live in its darker corners.
As you read this, gardaí are dealing with all the things that you never want to see. They are called out to sudden deaths, thefts, violent and bloody domestics, suicides and children brutalised and turned feral by their parents who live a life devoid of the civil norms of society.


JUSTICE MINISTER: "Alan Shatter is just another barrister who has made money from a failed justice system"

I watched news reports from this year's Garda Representative Association Conference when Minister for Justice Alan Shatter stood up and said that there was "every reason for morale to be high" in An Garda Siochana. Gardaí in my station took this as a direct insult, a "let them eat cake" moment by a barrister who has made money by participating in a failed judicial system.

I have sat in court and saw notorious criminals walk free on suspended sentences. Their solicitors telling judges that they suffer from drugs and drink problems that caused them to commit their crimes. The man who attacked me with the sword received a nine-month suspended jail term, his solicitor arguing that his client attacked the garda and his own kids because he couldn't handle the drink.
Solicitors are allowed, with impunity, to ask for adjournments so that quasi probation reports can be obtained and no-one questions the expenses. The accused was, more often than not, caught red handed. Why should his solicitor string out the process to make more and more money from the Legal Aid system? The simple answer is that the legal system is weighted in favour of the criminal.
The thief I caught for five burglaries pleaded guilty in court and, because he was under the age of 17, he got just four months in a young offenders institute. He was back out a few weeks later, straight in to a rampage of burglaries across Limerick city and county.
I know this because I identified him through CCTV images for detectives in Roxboro Road Garda Station as they investigated burglaries in the rural areas of their patch.
The Temporary Release system is a joke, a great insult to all the victims of crime. Prisons are releasing hardened criminals to ease the burden of overcrowding. It is a great naïve ignorance that believes that these criminals are not committing offences while out on the street. I know this as a fact because I have arrested people who were on temporary release.
Gardaí are arresting criminals close to the end of their shifts but are not allowed to investigate the crimes further because certain Superintendents will not allow them claim overtime. I know this to be a fact because I was that soldier.
The frustrations I felt and still feel led me to make the decision to leave the job I loved. I don't see a point putting my life in danger for a slashed down wage.
Frustrations

The decent and hardworking professional members of An Garda Siochana are now forced to work in an organisation that is unable to adequately protect and serve the community. I turned up for duty on days when there was only one car crew available to cover Henry Street District.
I walked the beat, I know the great frustrations of gardaí on the ground, how their morale has been destroyed. I have no regrets in joining the force but in years to come management, government and the citizens of this state will regret the moment they removed
the teeth from the jaws of their police force.
Lucky to have a job? Maybe the public are lucky that they still have a police force that cares.

Zambia

Does not make nice reading in regards the current work environment and the lack of resources/wages and subsequent punishment of offenders.

As regards the tasks he had to perform sadly that's the Job.

source

Just to make a clarification on this, before the idiots wake up.

There were 2 Gardai, named Niall O'Connor in Henry street. We called them tall Niall and small Niall(for obvious reasons). Tall Niall is the one involved in the assault in the papers a few weeks ago. Small Niall is the one who wrote this article.

@zambia, you and I both know its just part of the job, but the Irish public think their police force just issues tickets.

Pa Dee

audidiesel wrote: »

http://www.sundayworld.com/columnists/sw-irish-crime.php

Garda Rank and Vile

After five years on the front line Garda Niall O'Connor quit the job he loved last week...here he explains why and gives us a unique insight into a force that's at rock bottom and is close to collapse

In 2007 Cork journalist NIALL O'CONNOR joined the Garda Siochana, dreaming of a good career and of making a difference on the streets. But after five years facing down gangland criminals and dealing with the scum of society as well as its most tragic victims, he quit the job he loved in despair last week.
Here, he paints a chilling picture of a force on the brink of collapse under the weight of Government cuts and issues a warning to Justice Minister Alan Shatter to act before it is too late to save a police force in crisis.


PRIDE: But Niall O’Connor became disillusioned

I DODGED a sword attack from a crazed drunk father who threatened to kill his children. I ran into a burning building to try and save a trapped teenager from the deadly flames that threatened her life, while another occupant lay dying, impaled on the railings outside.

I performed CPR for 30 minutes on the body of a dead son as his family knelt beside me, sobbing and praying that God would save his life. I crawled underneath a van to see if there was any sign of life from the mutilated body of a drunken student who was trapped under the front axle.
I convinced people, overwhelmed with the horror of depression, to step back from the brink of suicide as they stood on bridges and quaysides.
Brutal



SOBERING: At a fatal shooting

I chased robbers and attackers in the brutal, failed housing projects of Limerick. I went toe to toe with the late-night, cocaine and drink-fuelled fighters outside fast food joints and pubs on the streets of one of Ireland's busiest cities. I rejoiced with parents when I broke the good news to them as missing kids were found safe and well, and fought back bitter tears when I told other families that their loved one was dead and would never come home.

I will never forget the sense of achievement after catching a burglar who stole from a house as a family slept upstairs. That night he had committed five other burglaries and was nearing home when he met me and another garda as we patrolled at 5.30 in the morning.
I took children into care from homes where maggots infested the kitchen sink. Infants doused in their own vomit and faeces, gaunt and thin from malnutrition, their junkie parents obsessed only with their next fix. I felt deep sadness for a little boy who watched his own mother cut her wrists in front of him. He cried and screamed "I love you mammy" as I walked him to the patrol van and took him to a better home.
I stared down and hassled drug kingpins and crime lords, pathetic men, who ordered the killings of innocent men such as Shane
Geoghegan and Roy Collins. Often they told me that they would kill my family, rape any girlfriend I had and burn down my house.
I caught drug dealers and thieves, wrestled with a junkie in the seconds after he attacked an 80-year-old great grandmother outside a shoe shop on a thronged street.
I was a police man. A Garda stationed in Henry Street in Limerick city.
Slashed



BRAVE: A garda is injured by a projectile

But last week I walked away from the job, sick and tired of being treated like my colleagues and I are the problem. My wages had been slashed and work place conditions reduced to managers playing political games in the hope that they would advance through the ranks.

All the while the bar-room scourges and radio show callers told my colleagues and I that we "were lucky to have a job".
Lucky? It was a regular occurrence to arrive for the start of my shift and not even have a patrol car to police one of the country's busiest and most dangerous districts. Worse still, gardaí in nearby rural districts were told not to go out on patrol, just so they could save petrol.
Inside their stations the bean counters ruled, while outside farmers were terrorised by gangs of marauding burglars. I was filled with anger when I saw well-known criminals laugh as we passed by them in a clapped-out Ford Focus, rattling and wheezing as it neared 300,000 kilometres.
I felt the sting of revulsion as local hoods boasted how they signed the dole and claimed extra disability payments for their vicious feral children on the basis that they were suffering from ADHD. Extra cash to pay for flatscreen televisions, playstations and holidays to Costa Del crime hang outs.
Burnt out and uncared for, young gardaí watch as criminals live the high life while they go home after their shift to families struggling to meet the normal expenses of everyday life.
Unarmed



LINE OF FIRE: Riot cops face violent thugs

I joined An Garda Siochana in 2007 after working in journalism for a number of years - full of enthusiasm, pride and a belief that I was going to achieve something other than make money for newspaper moguls. But I learned quickly that the brutal reality was that I was in a job that no-one cared for, a job for which there is little funding and even less respect for those who do its donkey work.

In the guards, unarmed uniformed regular cops are nicknamed "mules", because they do everything and carry the weight of the force on their shoulders. They are the men and women who respond to the 999 calls, who are first on scene to calls ranging in seriousness from a missing dog to a gangland murder.
Well those shoulders are shuddering under the weight of a job, that they feel, hates them. Even in a climate of austerity, it is an absurdity to think that the last organisation to be treated appropriately is the one which employs the people who defend our streets from those who live in its darker corners.
As you read this, gardaí are dealing with all the things that you never want to see. They are called out to sudden deaths, thefts, violent and bloody domestics, suicides and children brutalised and turned feral by their parents who live a life devoid of the civil norms of society.


JUSTICE MINISTER: "Alan Shatter is just another barrister who has made money from a failed justice system"

I watched news reports from this year's Garda Representative Association Conference when Minister for Justice Alan Shatter stood up and said that there was "every reason for morale to be high" in An Garda Siochana. Gardaí in my station took this as a direct insult, a "let them eat cake" moment by a barrister who has made money by participating in a failed judicial system.

I have sat in court and saw notorious criminals walk free on suspended sentences. Their solicitors telling judges that they suffer from drugs and drink problems that caused them to commit their crimes. The man who attacked me with the sword received a nine-month suspended jail term, his solicitor arguing that his client attacked the garda and his own kids because he couldn't handle the drink.
Solicitors are allowed, with impunity, to ask for adjournments so that quasi probation reports can be obtained and no-one questions the expenses. The accused was, more often than not, caught red handed. Why should his solicitor string out the process to make more and more money from the Legal Aid system? The simple answer is that the legal system is weighted in favour of the criminal.
The thief I caught for five burglaries pleaded guilty in court and, because he was under the age of 17, he got just four months in a young offenders institute. He was back out a few weeks later, straight in to a rampage of burglaries across Limerick city and county.
I know this because I identified him through CCTV images for detectives in Roxboro Road Garda Station as they investigated burglaries in the rural areas of their patch.
The Temporary Release system is a joke, a great insult to all the victims of crime. Prisons are releasing hardened criminals to ease the burden of overcrowding. It is a great naïve ignorance that believes that these criminals are not committing offences while out on the street. I know this as a fact because I have arrested people who were on temporary release.
Gardaí are arresting criminals close to the end of their shifts but are not allowed to investigate the crimes further because certain Superintendents will not allow them claim overtime. I know this to be a fact because I was that soldier.
The frustrations I felt and still feel led me to make the decision to leave the job I loved. I don't see a point putting my life in danger for a slashed down wage.
Frustrations

The decent and hardworking professional members of An Garda Siochana are now forced to work in an organisation that is unable to adequately protect and serve the community. I turned up for duty on days when there was only one car crew available to cover Henry Street District.
I walked the beat, I know the great frustrations of gardaí on the ground, how their morale has been destroyed. I have no regrets in joining the force but in years to come management, government and the citizens of this state will regret the moment they removed
the teeth from the jaws of their police force.
Lucky to have a job? Maybe the public are lucky that they still have a police force that cares.

That's some whine. Epecially the bit about other peoples tvs and holidays. Anyway the force will be better off without quitters and losers like this. Don't let the door hit your fat arse on the way out Garda Whine

deisedave

What did he think he was going to be doing as a member of the force? It is a tough job but being a police officer in any country is a hard job.

Pa Dee

deisedave wrote: »

What did he think he was going to be doing as a member of the force? It is a tough job but being a police officer in any country is a hard job.

Drinking tea and eating doughnuts judging by the tone of the article

audidiesel

Pa Dee wrote: »

That's some whine. Epecially the bit about other peoples tvs and holidays. Anyway the force will be better off without quitters and losers like this. Don't let the door hit your fat arse on the way out Garda Whine

its a spot on account of the current state of the guards in limerick. the fact that there may be only one car to cover the entire limerick city center area is newsworthy but serving guards arent allowed discuss the patrol car situation with the media. this may highlight the issue.

the temp release system is a joke everyone knows about, but again its worth highlighting.

as for adhd and the welfare fraud, thats the only reference to tv's or holidays. so unless your getting that allowance, id imagine most people would be pretty against it for non genuine cases.

and as for the stupid insults directed against him, go back to playschool, listen to the kids there and come up with something better and more original

Hootanany

source wrote: »

Just to make a clarification on this, before the idiots wake up.

There were 2 Gardai, named Niall O'Connor in Henry street. We called them tall Niall and small Niall(for obvious reasons). Tall Niall is the one involved in the assault in the papers a few weeks ago. Small Niall is the one who wrote this article.

@zambia, you and I both know its just part of the job, but the Irish public think their police force just issues tickets.

Idiots

Pappa Charlie

He's completely hit the nail on the head with this article, I'm delighted that its been brought to the publics attention in such a frank manner and its only someone in his position who has left the force that can speak out as he has done. The GRA are a disaster. It will be far too late when the government or public realise the damage that is being done to the force. Senior officers are so blinded by their own promotion prospects that they have'nt the balls to stand up and call it as it is and shout stop. I love the usual line that shatter comes out with when it raises its head "resources are a matter for the commissioner" hes the one who gives the resources to the commissioner and they are depleting every year in line with morale. I bet Shatters special advisers have all the resources they need.

goldie fish

Excellent article, should come as no surprise to most here, but its about time the public heard it too.

Potential-Monke

Even though it does smell of sensationalism at times, for the most part it's spot on with regards to whats happening not only in Limerick, but nationwide. But, the majority of the general public will dismiss this as the whining of a person who was unable to cope with the pressures. Shame really.

kub

That article should be framed and put up on the wall next to the entrance door to Templemore, it might give the recurits a true picture of what they will be facing in the future.

Providing that is that Templemore opens again.

But it is a good time of the year for publicity, all is usually quite in the month of August. Roll on tomorrow morning we will have this in the broadsheets, Joe will be on about it and I suppose Vincent Browne will want this chap on TV3.

Its a good job that there are not riots here like Greece, just imagine the Super standing down the lads because its end of shift.

calibelle

Wow! Is that a reasonable account of what actually goes on? Or would it be very dramatised, i.e, the things metioned being over a long period of time. Surely it can't be that bad every day?
Very hard to read that, utterly disgraceful that the Gardai are so short on resources.

audidiesel

calibelle wrote: »

Wow! Is that a reasonable account of what actually goes on? Or would it be very dramatised, i.e, the things metioned being over a long period of time. Surely it can't be that bad every day?
Very hard to read that, utterly disgraceful that the Gardai are so short on resources.

It's pretty on the money as a day to day account sadly. Genuinely not dramatised

The_Snapper

Journo before joining, journo after leaving... I smell a rat.

I don't buy into half of what he has written. A lot of it can be challenged, the rest comes with the package. Either get on with it or go. He chose the latter, good move. Typical Red Top sensationalism.

kub

The_Snapper wrote: »

Journo before joining, journo after leaving... I smell a rat.

I don't buy into half of what he has written. A lot of it can be challenged, the rest comes with the package. Either get on with it or go. He chose the latter, good move. Typical Red Top sensationalism.

You are right, interesting how it started in the Sunday World.

are you serious

The_Snapper wrote: »

Journo before joining, journo after leaving... I smell a rat.

I absolutely agree with this, and I would bet that he is not the only one!!! I'm surprised he didnt come out with anything else though!!

A lot of what he has said is unfortunately true, I personally dont think this article will achieve anything though!

senordingdong

Pappa Charlie wrote: »

He's completely hit the nail on the head with this article, I'm delighted that its been brought to the publics attention in such a frank manner

Personally I don't think these are issues that have been kept secret from the public. But is a Sunday rag really the way to highlight these problems?

Keep in mind this rag and their 'journalists' would be jumping on the first chance to slate the Gardaí any other week.

And Niall O'Connors 'journalist' history certainly makes all of this questionable.

Sunnyisland

If what the exgarda is saying is true then something needs to be done about it,With the paramilitaries and crime gangs we have in this country, Ireland is to small a place to have an inefficient Garda service.

Sunnyisland

senor dingdong wrote: »

Personally I don't think these are issues that have been kept secret from the public. But is a Sunday rag really the way to highlight these problems?

Keep in mind this rag and their 'journalists' would be jumping on the first chance to slate the Gardaí any other week.

And Niall O'Connor 'journalist' history certainly makes all of this questionable.

Maybe we should not slate the messenger on this one.

Zambia

The public will know soon enough when there is no response from 999. Maybe the option to leave a voice message?

Locust

The_Snapper wrote: »

Journo before joining, journo after leaving... I smell a rat.

I don't buy into half of what he has written. A lot of it can be challenged, the rest comes with the package. Either get on with it or go. He chose the latter, good move. Typical Red Top sensationalism.

We used to give him serious slagging for being a journo. That article is true.

sasta le

Should he not be allowed leak Garda information after leaving?

Im sure he will use inside information for the Sunday World now


How did Paul Williams get taken on Garda operations?

Whats he journalist bakcground?Sunday World bit of a rag cheap thrill kinda paper

source

sasta le wrote: »

Should he not be allowed leak Garda information after leaving?

Im sure he will use inside information for the Sunday World now


How did Paul Williams get taken on Garda operations?

Whats he journalist bakcground?Sunday World bit of a rag cheap thrill kinda paper

He hasn't leaked any information, he has signed the official secrets act, but that just means he can't reveal peoples personal details, internal documentation and procedures, or anything to do with state security.

What he has given is all above board.

sasta le

Ok thats fair i guess and good to know

Its a shame its the Sunday World he's writing for people may think he's going for a cheap thrill cause we need people on the Gardas side the guys on the ground have a tough job

Its just a few bad eggs that give the job a bad name

I Love Limerick

Its idiots like this that give limerick a bad name. Everyone knows the police have a hard job to do, what did he expect? He was just a celtic tiger guard expecting a cushy number, and then surprised when he actually had to do some work.

In any case, most of what he says about patrol cars is clearly made up. He never even drove a patrol car, no super he ever worked under trusted him. And now that hes spilling the beans on his former colleagues, i can hardly blame them either.

Turner

I Love Limerick wrote: »

most of what he says about patrol cars is clearly made up.

Are you saying there is no problem with patrol cars??

Yes there are some nice RSU units driving suped up Volvos and some nice new traffic Avensis.

But have you looked at the Garda cars that Gardai actually respond to calls in 24/7.

They average few might be nice 05-07 mondeos and look nice from the outside. But sit into one and look at the dash 250,000 - 299,999 kms on the clock! Rattles and shakes that no nct center would pass in a fit.

Thats not to mention the 1.4 liter focuses, vectras that cannot handle a roundabout at 20+mph and yaris's and fiestas that a granny would do her weekly shopping in.

Pappa Charlie

I hope he continues to speak out as a journalist/ex garda and becomes a thorn in the side senior management and the minister for justice. Hes done more in one article than the GRA or AGSI have done in the last 5 years for members on the ground. I've a feeling that Shatters bluff is about to be called!

kub

I did notice a headline on the Eircom homepage this evening, seems like AGSI have agreed with him re the fleet.

http://news.eircom.net/breakingnews/20668984/

I Love Limerick

Some of the cars definitely need replacing, but i don't think the force is "on the verge of collapse". That garda never even drove a garda car which is odd considering he was in the force 5 years.

BaronVon

Interviewed on Newstalk too, if that's a little more credible to some people.....

http://media.newstalk.ie/listenbacks/popup

Then go to archive, Lunchtime, Tuesday, Part 1 and it starts around 12 mins in

Better link here

http://www.newstalk.ie/2012/news/former-garda-explains-why-he-left-the-force-lack-of-funds-support/

goldie fish

I Love Limerick wrote: »

Some of the cars definitely need replacing, but i don't think the force is "on the verge of collapse". That garda never even drove a garda car which is odd considering he was in the force 5 years.

It isn't odd at all. I know many gardai who never drove a car throughout their entire 30 year career.

bradknowell

goldie fish wrote: »

It isn't odd at all. I know many gardai who never drove a car throughout their entire 30 year career.

Father drove the car over the years before he retired. My eldest brother drove car and bike since getting the courses, he has changed stations and they don't have a bike.
Twin brother is doing the car course at the moment so will inevitably drive the car , he hasn't gone for the bike course but there only one bike where he stationed.
I'm not a guard myself but obviously with family members retired and serving , I had to grow up with the way the job goes. Sunday world article was good enough imo as in it showed the dangers. Still be weary about him being a journalist though lol.
Before father retired he had his ankle broke just putting some fella in cell.
Ex girlfriends father got stabbed in the carpark of the station.
Brother got bet up by a few people, not to much but still shouldn't happen. Twin got kick in the face off a friend of a chap who put up a struggle whilst getting arrested. Twin had some fool crash head on into the squad car himself and the other guard where in at the time.
Lads I don't know how Ye do it. Yeah there are some tools in the force but hey, theyre tools all over the place in any job .
Keep up the good work and get rid of ****ter somehow

msg11

I was just thinking there, even if the Garda were allowed to speak out about things in the force, I doubt anything would change to be honest. The people in the Dail don't want to spend money full stop and are only interested in keeping the IMF happy and the people of the country on the side burner for when things hopefully turn around.

Turner

I Love Limerick wrote: »

That garda never even drove a garda car which is odd considering he was in the force 5 years.

No its not. He was obviously not trained to drive one, many Gardai are not and have not completed a driving course.

Out of a unit of 10 Gardai 2-3 would normally be trained and would do most if not all of the driving.

Only Gardai who have completed an advanced driving course are permitted to drive patrol cars, vans and motorcycles.

In special circumstances where there is a shortage of these trained drivers untrained Gardai (who have the relevant license) are allowed drive patrol cars and in some cases vans. Not motorcycles.

But they do have restrictions on their driving of Garda vehicles which is not up for discussion here im afraid.

coolmoose

I Love Limerick wrote: »

Some of the cars definitely need replacing, but i don't think the force is "on the verge of collapse". That garda never even drove a garda car which is odd considering he was in the force 5 years.

Just joined boards, 3 posts, all against Gda O'Connor? Hmm, interesting. I've never driven a Garda car either but I know enough and work with enough Gardai in Limerick to know what he's saying is pretty accurate.

I Love Limerick

coolmoose wrote: »

3 posts, all against Gda O'Connor?

I'm against people badmouthing our city, especially when its done indirectly by someone in a vile attempt to embarrass his former employers because he wasn't left drive a patrol car.

I Love Limerick

I Love Limerick wrote: »

I'm against people badmouthing our city, especially when its done indirectly by someone in a vile attempt to embarrass his former employers because he wasn't left drive a patrol car.

You are a tool. How is his complaints about not being able to drive a car? He mentioned not even having a car to patrol sometimes. Criminals who make every Limerick residents life a misery and how when the Gardaí arrest them the courts leave them back out to carry on.

Go and read the article in full again. Then listen to the interview. Then maybe you might cop yourself on.

coolmoose

I Love Limerick wrote: »

I'm against people badmouthing our city, especially when its done indirectly by someone in a vile attempt to embarrass his former employers because he wasn't left drive a patrol car.

Oh ya I'm sure he's going to all this effort because he wasn't allowed to drive a car...are you for real?! :rolleyes:

Well done too for focusing on just one aspect of his article to try and discredit him. And as for badmouthing the city - unfortunately, the reality of Limerick, and a lot of other cities in ireland is that the "dark side" as described by gda O'Connor does exist.

Anyway, resume trolling!

audidiesel

I Love Limerick wrote: »

I'm against people badmouthing our city, especially when its done indirectly by someone in a vile attempt to embarrass his former employers because he wasn't left drive a patrol car.

as someone who does drive a patrol car i agree 100% with every word he's said or written so far! that pretty much covers that argument id say.

source

I Love Limerick wrote: »

coolmoose wrote: »

3 posts, all against Gda O'Connor?

I'm against people badmouthing our city, especially when its done indirectly by someone in a vile attempt to embarrass his former employers because he wasn't left drive a patrol car.

You haven't a clue what you're talking about. I'm limerick born and bred, I also worked with him, and I agree with everything he has said.

He is not making any thing he has said up. In fact I was with him during a number of the things he talked about. It's the reality of life in a modern city. He isn't trying to tarnish Limerick, he's trying to shame the government and management into treating Gardai fairly and giving them the backing they need.

Stop taking this so personally.

I Love Limerick

His article was simply a cheap trick to bolster his name in the irish journalism arena. Which unfortunately he has to some degree now achieved.

coolmoose

Do you really have nothing except personal insults about Mr. O'Connor to add to this discussion?

Did he ticket you or something?

You really have some kind of personal issue against him it seems. Are you a Garda in Limerick, as you seem to have some kind of inside knowledge regarding his Garda career?

source

I Love Limerick wrote: »

His article was simply a cheap trick to bolster his name in the irish journalism arena. Which unfortunately he has to some degree now achieved.

I'm certain he is using this both to highlight the issues serving gardai cannot, and to re-launch his journalism career. They say you should write about what you know.

More power to him if he helps an underfunded vital service along the way.

I Love Limerick

coolmoose wrote: »

Do you really have nothing except personal insults about Mr. O'Connor to add to this discussion?

Did he ticket you or something?

You really have some kind of personal issue against him it seems. Are you a Garda in Limerick, as you seem to have some kind of inside knowledge regarding his Garda career?

Why are you attacking me? Are my points too valid to attack them? I've no personal issue against the guy other than when i see BS i call it.

Pappa Charlie

I Love Limerick wrote: »

I'm against people badmouthing our city, especially when its done indirectly by someone in a vile attempt to embarrass his former employers because he wasn't left drive a patrol car.

You should be praising him, the Gardai have done an excellent job in Limerick with loads of gangland figures behind bars as prior to this they were given the resources to do it. This also took place while he was there whether he had a major part or not. Get prepared for what gave Limerick its bad name to come back out and when they do come out you can be certain they will be able to operate far more easily because of the problems Niall O Conner has highlighted. If you love Limerick take off your blinkers and think about what you are saying! I just think your comments are more personal than giving a crap about Limerick. Hes also talking about Gardai nationally.

I Love Limerick

I Love Limerick wrote: »

Why are you attacking me? Are my points too valid to attack them? I've no personal issue against the guy other than when i see BS i call it.

that would explain the quality of your posts then.

Potential-Monke

I Love Limerick wrote: »

Why are you attacking me? Are my points too valid to attack them? I've no personal issue against the guy other than when i see BS i call it.

He's not attacking you, he's asking you to substantiate your views. There are people here who worked with him who stated that everything he said is true, there are people here who drive patrol cars who explained that to you, but still you go on about him talking bs.

He did not bad mouth Limerick (I'm from there), he simply stated a fact of what the Gardai in Limerick, and in general, deal with. These people (scum) exist in Limerick, and because he was stationed there he is using his experience in dealing with them as the examples> He also stated he was in Waterford on Phase 2. It wouldn't have mattered where he was stationed, there is scum in every city.

Oh, and your points are invalid. You have nothing to back up your claims, and appears to me that you just want to brush off his "revelations" as an attempt to get back into journalism, which he might be doing, but as was said above, he has done more than the GRA or AGSI combined have for us so far.

Tyron Jara

I Love Limerick wrote: »

I'm against people badmouthing our city, especially when its done indirectly by someone in a vile attempt to embarrass his former employers because he wasn't left drive a patrol car.

TBH he didnt bad mouth your city it was just were he is based and were he had his experiences. He was talking about the force as a whole.

Things need to be sorted out in the force and hes bringing it to light! Another few years of these cuts and ill be surprised if a functional effective force still exists.

r3nu4l

Site Administrator note:

I love Limerick. Please substantiate your claims that this ex Garda 'caused more trouble on the streets, if someone looked sideways at him'. That's a serious claim and is potentially defamation of character.

Either substantiate or withdraw the claim.

I Love Limerick

r3nu4l wrote: »

Site Administrator note:

I love Limerick. Please substantiate your claims that this ex Garda 'caused more trouble on the streets, if someone looked sideways at him'. That's a serious claim and is potentially defamation of character.

Either substantiate or withdraw the claim.

I withdraw the claim.