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guards carrying badges off duty

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    #152
    El Horseboxo
    Registered Users Posts: 5,339 ✭✭✭El Horseboxo


    I carry my agency shield, ID and back up piece when off duty. Only because it is encouraged since September 11th. I wouldn't dream of using any of that for freebies. I'm non uniformed and if I showed any ID when going to pay for something you could best believe there would be a complaint being made. Not so much due to the giving away stuff for free or allowing free entry. But it would be seen as some audacious corruption or extortion.

    It happens here too with coffees and that but that is mainly for uniformed officers that would be regulars.


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    #153
    Pappa Charlie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 853 ✭✭✭Pappa Charlie


    El Horseboxo wrote: »
    I carry my agency shield, ID and back up piece when off duty. Only because it is encouraged since September 11th. I wouldn't dream of using any of that for freebies. I'm non uniformed and if I showed any ID when going to pay for something you could best believe there would be a complaint being made. Not so much due to the giving away stuff for free or allowing free entry. But it would be seen as some audacious corruption or extortion.

    It happens here too with coffees and that but that is mainly for uniformed officers that would be regulars.

    I have a friend in the NYPD and I've been over to him, they are encouraged by supermarket owners to come in to their shops, in many cases the pull up, go in an take what they want for their meal break while working and leave with a courtesy wave or bit of chat, if there is a call to the store rest assured there will be a quick response, that's life!


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    #154
    Micky Dolenz
    Registered Users Posts: 44,080 ✭✭✭✭Micky Dolenz


    BrianJD wrote: »
    Statoil when they were in business used to give out free coffees to any guards.

    It helped to have the extra visits for security.


    We got free coffee wherever we have fuel card accounts. I suspect this is part of the reason why they got it.


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    #155
    Pappa Charlie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 853 ✭✭✭Pappa Charlie


    Micky Dolenz wrote: »
    We got free coffee wherever we have fuel card accounts. I suspect this is part of the reason why they got it.

    I've often been asked into coffee shops etc for a free coffee while on the beat and many places give you staff rate for your lunch, many people happen to value what you do and are only to delighted to support you, if that's corruption I'm going to rot in hell!


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    #156
    HondaSami
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,713 ✭✭✭HondaSami


    Pappa Charlie wrote: »
    I've often been asked into coffee shops etc for a free coffee while on the beat and many places give you staff rate for your lunch, many people happen to value what you do and are only to delighted to support you, if that's corruption I'm going to rot in hell!

    It's not corruption but getting free coffee all the time is not right either, now a loyalty card for regular customers is different, discount for lunches and coffee then but same with all customers not just AGS.


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    #157
    rgmmg
    Registered Users Posts: 537 ✭✭✭rgmmg


    ScumLord wrote: »
    This only happened to me in Latvia, we went into a club and a half naked cop drunk off his nut came over and said he was going to arrest me and showed his badge. I told him to shove his badge up his hole, luckily he didn't quite understand what I was saying and just started laughing and danced off on his merry way.


    As with English, the word for arrest sounds similar to that of molest in Latvian.


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    #158
    bluebottle102
    Registered Users Posts: 82 ✭✭bluebottle102


    FTA69 wrote: »
    msg11 wrote: »


    Balls. The main reason a doorman asks for ID is to ascertain age. There is no reason someone would produce a Garda warrant card at a nightclub door other than to blag their way past a queue or get in for free.

    A few years ago I was out with a few mates and went to a local niteclub when my mate who is a guard and was 25 at d time was asked for id. I knew he carried d badge everywhere but he said he had no id with him and that he was 25 etc etc. he tried reasoning with him but he wasn't being let in. He eventually pulled out the badge and the bouncer was like 'oh why didn't you show me that earlier, you lot get in for free here' My mate made a point of paying in on principle as he doesn't want people knowing what he does.
    Thought it was funny on the bouncers part though


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    #159
    demanufactured
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭demanufactured


    endacl wrote: »
    Don't try arguing with me pal! I'm wearing a hat!

    :D

    You'll have to speak up I'm wearing a towel..


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    #160
    Potential-Monke
    Registered Users Posts: 13,834 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    Sigh...

    I don't get free coffee.
    I don't get through tolls for free by flashing my ID.
    I never get free food.
    I don't get discounted food.
    I don't flash my ID to get into a club for free.
    I don't do shopping in closed shops.
    I don't get free tv's or small appliances.
    I don't get free medium or large appliances.

    The only benefit i get from being a Garda is free entry to the nightclub in the city in which i work, and that's simply because they know i'm a Garda as i've dealt (satisfactorily) with them. I want to pay, but they won't let me. I don't get free drink.

    What i do get is:

    Looks from the local criminals.
    Local criminals trying to start a conversation with me.
    Local criminals attempting to get a response of a negative nature.
    An expectation to do something, even if i have alcohol on board.
    Constantly hearing "pig" when on nights out in the local area (which don't annoy me anymore, i've adapted the name).

    You could say not to drink where i work, but the next nearest town is 20 minutes away, and contrary to popular belief i can't afford a taxi home, and no, the local Gardai won't bring me home.

    We are obliged to carry our ID with us 24/7. It does not mean i can use it whenever i want, but allows us to carry out our duties in situations which may require our intervention, on or off duty. I would not use any powers i have been granted when i even have so much as a mouthful of alcohol drank. That's just leaving myself open for trouble. In those situations, if required, i would act as a "Garda witness", and give a statement when no alcohol was in my system, as is the case with any regular witness.

    Guess i should be fired with the rest of the 11,000 members for "abusing" my "powers". We're all the same in the end, and everything i've posted above is lies. :rolleyes:

    Yes, some members may use their ID to get into nightclubs (not all of them though, you need to be stationed in Galway city to get into the clubs there for free). Yes, some may get free coffee. But 99% of the time that's an unwritten agreement between staff at the premises and the regular members who work in that area.

    Every job can have some perks, and in AGS if free entry to a nightclub or a free coffee is the worst, then it's not that bad of an organisation. If you have a gripe about it, or feel unfairly treated because of it, that's what the GSOC are for.


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    #161
    T-K-O
    Registered Users Posts: 6,309 ✭✭✭T-K-O


    Maybe you're doing it wrong


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    #162
    Potential-Monke
    Registered Users Posts: 13,834 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    T-K-O wrote: »
    Maybe you're doing it wrong

    Maybe i'm doing it like 99% of the Gardai who keep getting tarnished with the same brush, over and over...


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    #163
    T-K-O
    Registered Users Posts: 6,309 ✭✭✭T-K-O


    Potential-Monke wrote: »
    Maybe i'm doing it like 99% of the Gardai who keep getting tarnished with the same brush, over and over...

    That was a joke, 99% now you're telling the jokes


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    #164
    Potential-Monke
    Registered Users Posts: 13,834 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    T-K-O wrote: »
    That was a joke, 99% now you're telling the jokes

    I realised it was a joke, just wanted to get my point across. And i'd be fairly confident of 99%. That's about 110 Gardai who may get those perks through deciding to use the ID.


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    #165
    T-K-O
    Registered Users Posts: 6,309 ✭✭✭T-K-O


    Potential-Monke wrote: »
    I realised it was a joke, just wanted to get my point across. And i'd be fairly confident of 99%. That's about 110 Gardai who may get those perks through deciding to use the ID.

    Unlike a lot of people I actually respect the garda but like many organisations corruption does exist


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    #166
    Potential-Monke
    Registered Users Posts: 13,834 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    T-K-O wrote: »
    Unlike a lot of people I actually respect the garda but like many organisations corruption does exist

    And i'm agreeing with you, but no where near what people think there is. As always, it's the small percentage dragging down the larger one.


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    #167
    daveyeh
    Registered Users Posts: 774 ✭✭✭daveyeh


    endacl wrote: »
    They can carry all the badges they like. If they're not wearing their hats they have no official powers. That's totally a fact, and there's no arguing with it.

    Thread closed.

    This has to be bull****


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    #168
    Birneybau
    Registered Users Posts: 10,231 ✭✭✭✭Birneybau


    daveyeh wrote: »
    This has to be bull****

    You must'nt have gotten the memo :rolleyes:


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    #169
    Potential-Monke
    Registered Users Posts: 13,834 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    mick_sheen wrote: »
    garda corruption is much more prevelant than the majority of people think , from reading boards.ie , one would think they were all clark kents to the last man

    of course one person idea of corruption could be different than the next ones , ignoring the fact that a well connected individual has no motor tax or is driving a northern reg car , that to me is a form of corruption , some might only see corruption as planting drugs on someone etc

    I see your point, and i personally get disgusted by those well connected individuals getting away with that, considering that more than likely they earn more than me anyway.


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