A Good Garda story

http://m.rte.ie/news/touch/2014/0513/616971-raid-meath/

Nice to see the dedication and outright bravery of the force making the news for a change.

I'm sure there are many many gardaí who would do the same.
Top job fella!

fullaljackeen

Brave man.

RTEs use of the term "firearm" should be taxed at a high rate to impeed its usage.

Caliden

He must have put the fear of god into them.

Anyone who goes up someone with a gun and emerges the victor has got to have brass balls.

Then again, the gun could've been a fake. Airsoft guns look pretty realistic these days.

newbie11

Good to see, well done

Fair play to him standing down guys with a possible gun

wicklowstevo

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-arrest-man-armed-with-hatchet-after-burglary-in-waterford-30269888.html


happens every day just shows the difference between management and the man on the street

Foxhound38

Plenty of Gardai do a tough and dangerous job well for little thanks or compensation. This doesn't excuse some of the carry on we've been hearing about over the last few months, but it's worth baring in mind when we hear these stories - especially when considering the position of the average front-line Garda.

The one in the OP's story is an example of this. Brass balls, to be sure!

Foxhound38

Foxhound38 wrote: »

Plenty of Gardai do a tough and dangerous job well for little thanks or compensation. This doesn't excuse some of the carry on we've been hearing about over the last few months, but it's worth baring in mind when we hear these stories - especially when considering the position of the average front-line Garda.

The one in the OP's story is an example of this. Brass balls, to be sure!

I find it interesting too to the number of replies to this thread. 6 replies. If it had been another scandal how many pages would we be on?

turnikett1

TheTorment wrote: »

I find it interesting too to the number of replies to this thread. 6 replies. If it had been another scandal how many pages would we be on?

It is essentially just a Guard doing his job, off duty. No need for a 30 page discussion on it. Not that I don't applaud the man for his brave actions, but it's not that significant imo

gctest50

Armed with a syringe ? execute him

With the keys still in the vehicle, a passing man armed with a syringe jumped in and sped from the scene attempting to force the woman, who is 30 weeks pregnant, out of the moving car.

Gardaí followed and the car stopped on nearby Sean MacDermott Street following a brief pursuit. The 28-year-old man, who is from the south inner city and is known to gardaí, attempted to escape but was immediately apprehended and arrested.

smellmepower

Aren't they supposed to do things like that?even when they're off duty?fair play to him all the same.

Most Guards I know only use their powers to get free travel on the Luas when they're off duty!

wp_rathead

Fair play

That Garda's balls are so big he has to place them in a wheelbarrow

weldoninhio

Is a guard ever off duty?? Aren't they obliged to step in if they witness a crime? Is that not why they have to have their badge/card with them all all times.


Man does job. Isn't he great.

ScumLord

The suspects got out of the van and pointed a firearm at the unarmed garda.
Following a brief stand-off the men dropped the firearm and the cash box and fled into nearby fields.

This is the point in the film when the good guy says something bad ass that convinces the bad guys they shouldn't mess with him. I wonder what he said?

Little CuChulainn

turnikett1 wrote: »

It is essentially just a Guard doing his job, off duty. No need for a 30 page discussion on it. Not that I don't applaud the man for his brave actions, but it's not that significant imo

It's fairly significant if you believe that his job is to tackle armed people while he himself is not armed. It's a piss poor attitude to expect someone to do that without affording them any kind of respect or gratitude.

weldoninhio wrote: »

Is a guard ever off duty?? Aren't they obliged to step in if they witness a crime? Is that not why they have to have their badge/card with them all all times.


Man does job. Isn't he great.

Yes he is. Don't worry though I'm sure your job is just as important.

WilyCoyote

Foxhound38 wrote: »

Plenty of Gardai do a tough and dangerous job well for little thanks or compensation. This doesn't excuse some of the carry on we've been hearing about over the last few months, but it's worth baring in mind when we hear these stories - especially when considering the position of the average front-line Garda.

The one in the OP's story is an example of this. Brass balls, to be sure!

That's what they are paid to do. That's what they sign up for.

There are far more farmers/building workers killed in the line of duty.

And the local farmers/building workers don't get paid while attending the funerals.

Little CuChulainn

WilyCoyote wrote: »

That's what they are paid to do. That's what they sign up for.

Yes and they are entitled to a little gratitude for it.

WilyCoyote wrote: »

There are far more farmers/building workers killed in the line of duty.

What is the duty of the farmer and builder?

WilyCoyote wrote: »

And the local farmers/building workers don't get paid while attending the funerals.

I disagree. I think you'll find if a fella dies on a building site his colleagues will get to go.

Valetta

WilyCoyote wrote: »

That's what they are paid to do. That's what they sign up for.

There are far more farmers/building workers killed in the line of duty.

And the local farmers/building workers don't get paid while attending the funerals.

Is it a competition now?

If you can't see the difference between soneone being killed in a work accident and someone going out to work every day (including their days off) facing unknown dangers, then there is no hope for you.

What have funerals got to do with anything?

Matt_Trakker

Story is only coming out because another Garda whistleblower has contacted Ming and his merry band, cops need some good PR to come out before any more bad stories come out.

endacl

Jaysus. If this was a thread about a guard who got done for no tax, it'd be about 50 pages long at this stage.

:rolleyes:

Well done him.

Little CuChulainn

Matt_Trakker wrote: »

Story is only coming out because another Garda whistleblower has contacted Ming and his merry band, cops need some good PR to come out before any more bad stories come out.

That was some planning. Do you think the security staff were in on it too?

Valetta

Matt_Trakker wrote: »

Story is only coming out because another Garda whistleblower has contacted Ming and his merry band, cops need some good PR to come out before any more bad stories come out.

So it didn't really happen then?

Right so.

keith16

turnikett1 wrote: »

It is essentially just a Guard doing his job, off duty. No need for a 30 page discussion on it. Not that I don't applaud the man for his brave actions, but it's not that significant imo

If someone was threatening you with a gun would you pass it off as insignificant?

I can't understand the cynicism in some people that reduces his act down to "just doing his job".

My job is nowhere near as dangerous. Even so, when I work off the clock and deliver a major result, it is recognised. If I was told I was just doing my job, I would be far from impressed.

sillyoulfool

wicklowstevo wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-arrest-man-armed-with-hatchet-after-burglary-in-waterford-30269888.html


happens every day just shows the difference between management and the man on the street

Most of the corruption and abuse of power is the garda on the street while most of the mismanagement that allows it, is at senior level. A cursory viewing of the Morris, Smitwick , and now Guerin reports are testimony to that.
It is truly an indictment of how terrible our so called police force is that we need a special thread to celebrate when they make headlines for a good reason.

donvito99

sillyoulfool wrote: »

It is truly an indictment of how terrible our so called police force is that we need a special thread to celebrate when they make headlines for a good reason.

Your user name is appropriate.

Pumpkinseeds

It's sad that there's so much apathy towards the Gardai and the work they do on duty or off. It must be a very difficult job to do, especially when the public clearly place so little value on the work you do. Makes me wonder why the chap would even bother to stop a crime when he wasn't being paid to put his life at risk.

WilyCoyote

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

Yes and they are entitled to a little gratitude for it.



What is the duty of the farmer and builder?



I disagree. I think you'll find if a fella dies on a building site his colleagues will get to go.

Of course. It's called pay.

To provide for their families.

By it's nature the construction game is nomadic. So your new foreman might not like letting you go to the funeral of a guy that he had not known on the firms time.

Valetta wrote: »

Is it a competition now?

If you can't see the difference between soneone being killed in a work accident and someone going out to work every day (including their days off) facing unknown dangers, then there is no hope for you.

What have funerals got to do with anything?

Read the earlier posts.

Little CuChulainn

WilyCoyote wrote: »

Of course. It's called pay.

That's not gratitude, it's called a wage. It's only called gratitude when it's extra pay.

WilyCoyote wrote: »

To provide for their families.

Not the same as a duty to protect everyones now is it?

WilyCoyote wrote: »

By it's nature the construction game is nomadic. So your new foreman might not like letting you go to the funeral of a guy that he had not known on the firms time.

That would make him an ass and not the norm. Your determination to downplay the role of a Garda to a mere service provider is very illuminating.

WilyCoyote

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

That's not gratitude, it's called a wage. It's only called gratitude when it's extra pay.



Not the same as a duty to protect everyones now is it?



That would make him an ass and not the norm. Your determination to downplay the role of a Garda to a mere service provider is very illuminating.

So what do they join the force for? Wages or kudos?

Protect everyone? You are joking. Have you not followed the ongoing garda corruption scandals - where protecting themselves seems paramount.

I'm not downplaying the role of anyone in society. Pay people to do their job. And if they do it ........ do they deserve extra merit? You are beginning to sound like a teacher, nurse, fireman or guard.
Gardai are there to uphold the law equally among men. This has not been the case. The good cops that did not speak out are also culpable. If you don't think so, your idea of fairness is skewed.

Little CuChulainn

WilyCoyote wrote: »

So what do they join the force for? Wages or kudos?

Protect everyone? You are joking. Have you not followed the ongoing garda corruption scandals - where protecting themselves seems paramount.

I'm not downplaying the role of anyone in society. Pay people to do their job. And if they do it ........ do they deserve extra merit? You are beginning to sound like a teacher, nurse, fireman or guard.
Gardai are there to uphold the law equally among men. This has not been the case. The good cops that did not speak out are also culpable. If you don't think so, your idea of fairness is skewed.

Wages or kudos? That's all you can imagine people doing a job for. I feel sorry for you. You must live a very selfish world. It's a shame that you would minimise so much good work because of some media fired view of a job, and you extend it to all the most vital jobs in society too. I can only assume you suffer from self esteem issues and feel the need to put down some of the biggest contributors to society because you contribute so little yourself and feel guilty. Again, you have my pity. I can only hope you come to terms with your own failings so you no longer need to put down others and can recognise when someone puts themself before others.

Valetta

WilyCoyote wrote: »

Of course. It's called pay.

To provide for their families.

By it's nature the construction game is nomadic. So your new foreman might not like letting you go to the funeral of a guy that he had not known on the firms time.



Read the earlier posts.

I have read all the posts in the thread.

You are the only one to mention funerals, and it still makes no sense.

I hope you or your famy never need the services of the gardai, as I'm sure at the time they will have far more deserving people to protect.

Snake

Fair play to him and the Waterford Garda that stopped the bastard with the hatchet

Little CuChulainn

sillyoulfool wrote: »

Most of the corruption and abuse of power is the garda on the street while most of the mismanagement that allows it, is at senior level. A cursory viewing of the Morris

based on incidents 20 years ago, all recommendations and more implemented.,

sillyoulfool wrote: »

Smitwick

(25 years ago)

sillyoulfool wrote: »

and now Guerin

(no indication of corruption from Gardaí)

sillyoulfool wrote: »

reports are testimony to that.
It is truly an indictment of how terrible our so called police force is that we need a special thread to celebrate when they make headlines for a good reason.

The Gardaí make headlines for good reasons every day. This headline is for a great reason.

WilyCoyote

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

Wages or kudos? That's all you can imagine people doing a job for. I feel sorry for you. You must live a very selfish world. It's a shame that you would minimise so much good work because of some media fired view of a job, and you extend it to all the most vital jobs in society too. I can only assume you suffer from self esteem issues and feel the need to put down some of the biggest contributors to society because you contribute so little yourself and feel guilty. Again, you have my pity. I can only hope you come to terms with your own failings so you no longer need to put down others and can recognise when someone puts themself before others.

I wonder if the top paying salaried jobs were the bottom paying jobs, how many of these esteemed pioneers would go for them? You're being naive or else trolling.

If political jobs paid very little ........ how many of these self congratulatory denizens would apply to "give it all for their country and their fellow men"? Or worse still, rope other family members in?

WilyCoyote

Valetta wrote: »

I have read all the posts in the thread.

You are the only one to mention funerals, and it still makes no sense.

I hope you or your famy never need the services of the gardai, as I'm sure at the time they will have far more deserving people to protect.

HeidiHeidi

This is the most depressing thread I've read anywhere on Boards in a long time.

Well done that fella - above and beyond the call of duty.

Little CuChulainn

WilyCoyote wrote: »

I wonder if the top paying salaried jobs were the bottom paying jobs, how many of these esteemed pioneers would go for them? You're being naive or else trolling.

If political jobs paid very little ........ how many of these self congratulatory denizens would apply to "give it all for their country and their fellow men"? Or worse still, rope other family members in?

Me trolling? You're the one who came into a thread set up to congratulate a job well done just so you could downplay it. Some people are just determined to spread their own misery wherever you can.

WilyCoyote

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

This is the most depressing thread I've read anywhere on Boards in a long time.

Well done that fella - above and beyond the call of duty.

According to some of the posters here, they guy should be a recipient of The Scott Medal. Lets see how it pans out.

HeidiHeidi

WilyCoyote wrote: »

According to some of the posters here, they guy should be a recipient of The Scott Medal. Lets see how it pans out.

I'd say there's every chance that the guy will be the recipient of a Scott Medal for that incident. And deservedly so.

WilyCoyote

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

Me trolling? You're the one who came into a thread set up to congratulate a job well done just so you could downplay it. Some people are just determined to spread their own misery wherever you can.

You see, I really don't get the big deal. Shopkeepers, Pharmacy workers, Bank tellers get guns pointed at them. Why no eulogising there?
Perhaps you're into uniforms.

mfceiling

I wonder if anyone here realises how difficult a job being a garda is.

I've met countless garda and i'd say 99% were sound. They're doing a job which is sh*tty enough at the best of times and yet the general public give out stink about them.

Fair play to that lad in meath - the other 2 "hard men" showed their true colours when faced down by a real man.

WilyCoyote

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I'd say there's every chance that the guy will be the recipient of a Scott Medal for that incident. And deservedly so.

These are the requirements:


The Scott Medal
An Garda Síochána’s Highest Honour
The Scott Medal
In 1923 Colonel Walter Scott, an Honorary Commissioner of the New York City Police and a well known philanthropist, presented An Garda Síochána, then the world’s youngest Police Force, with a $1,000 gold bond.

There was only one condition attached to the award of the Scott Medal: "No action, however heroic, will merit the award of the Scott medal unless it takes the shape of an act of personal bravery, performed intelligently in the execution of duty at imminent risk to the life of the doer, and armed with full previous knowledge of the risk involved".

The medal is in the form of a Celtic cross. There are 5 panels on the face of the medal that depict the words "The Scott Medal", "For Valour", the eagle and the shield of the USA, the harp and sunburst and the Garda Crest. The reverse of the medal carries the inscription, "Garda Síochána na h-Éireann". The 4 outside panels are the arms of the four provinces of Ireland - Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught.

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform presents recipients with their medals at an annual Scott Medal ceremony. The ceremony usually takes place at the Garda College.

HeidiHeidi

WilyCoyote wrote: »

You see, I really don't get the big deal. Shopkeepers, Pharmacy workers, Bank tellers get guns pointed at them. Why no eulogising there?
Perhaps you're into uniforms.

Shopkeepers, pharmacy workers, bank tellers etc generally don't step in in front of a gun voluntarily, in order to stop a crime being committed. This guy did.

There's a big difference between being a victim of crime (can happen any of us, any time), and intervening (unarmed) to stop an armed crime being committed.

And to be facetious about it, there's no uniforms involved here, bar the ones the Securicor guys were wearing. So, no, that isn't a factor in my posting.

HeidiHeidi

WilyCoyote wrote: »

These are the requirements:


The Scott Medal
An Garda Síochána’s Highest Honour
The Scott Medal
In 1923 Colonel Walter Scott, an Honorary Commissioner of the New York City Police and a well known philanthropist, presented An Garda Síochána, then the world’s youngest Police Force, with a $1,000 gold bond.

There was only one condition attached to the award of the Scott Medal: "No action, however heroic, will merit the award of the Scott medal unless it takes the shape of an act of personal bravery, performed intelligently in the execution of duty at imminent risk to the life of the doer, and armed with full previous knowledge of the risk involved".

The medal is in the form of a Celtic cross. There are 5 panels on the face of the medal that depict the words "The Scott Medal", "For Valour", the eagle and the shield of the USA, the harp and sunburst and the Garda Crest. The reverse of the medal carries the inscription, "Garda Síochána na h-Éireann". The 4 outside panels are the arms of the four provinces of Ireland - Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught.

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform presents recipients with their medals at an annual Scott Medal ceremony. The ceremony usually takes place at the Garda College.

How does this guy's action not meet that condition?

Little CuChulainn

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

How does this guy's action not meet that condition?

Apparently because he gets paid.

HeidiHeidi

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

Apparently because he gets paid.

Aha, but he was off duty. So not being paid. Even better.

WilyCoyote

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Shopkeepers, pharmacy workers, bank tellers etc generally don't step in in front of a gun voluntarily, in order to stop a crime being committed. This guy did.

There's a big difference between being a victim of crime (can happen any of us, any time), and intervening (unarmed) to stop an armed crime being committed.

And to be facetious about it, there's no uniforms involved here, bar the ones the Securicor guys were wearing. So, no, that isn't a factor in my posting.

No, he did not step in front of a gun voluntarily:

The off-duty officer pursued the men into a nearby housing estate where he boxed the van in with his own car.

Gardai said the robbers got out of the vehicle and a brief standoff took place when one of the men pointed the firearm at the garda.

It is understood the men dropped the cash box and fled into fields.

Gardai said the suspected robbers were dressed in black and some items of clothing believed to have been used in the robbery were later found in a house in Streamstown, Ratoath in a follow-up search.

MagicMarker

Some say brave, I say stupid.

HeidiHeidi

WilyCoyote wrote: »

No, he did not step in front of a gun voluntarily:

The off-duty officer pursued the men into a nearby housing estate where he boxed the van in with his own car.

Gardai said the robbers got out of the vehicle and a brief standoff took place when one of the men pointed the firearm at the garda.

It is understood the men dropped the cash box and fled into fields.

Gardai said the suspected robbers were dressed in black and some items of clothing believed to have been used in the robbery were later found in a house in Streamstown, Ratoath in a follow-up search.

Ah here - robbers of cash in transit vans don't usually point a rolled-up newspaper at their victims.

The chances of them having a gun or or other highly dangerous weapon was very high indeed. The guy went into that situation, unarmed, with no means of communication to other Gardai for backup, and had a gun pointed at him.

Seriously, you have to be on a wind-up - and with me, you're succeeding, unfortunately, so I'm outta here.

I say again, well done that fella, and enjoy the medal ceremony when it comes around

WilyCoyote

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

Ah here - robbers of cash in transit vans don't usually point a rolled-up newspaper at their victims.

The chances of them having a gun or or other highly dangerous weapon was very high indeed. The guy went into that situation, unarmed, with no means of communication to other Gardai for backup, and had a gun pointed at him.

Seriously, you have to be on a wind-up - and with me, you're succeeding, unfortunately, so I'm outta here.

I say again, well done that fella, and enjoy the medal ceremony when it comes around

Ditto. Am off to watch Peterb' V Orient. Far more civilized

twowheelsgood

MagicMarker wrote: »

Some say brave, I say stupid.

A little harsh but certainly I would not expect or recommend an unarmed guard taking such a risk when there was no threat to life, or even a kidnapping in play.

If it's only money ...