What are your personal experiences with the Gardai

lesterburnham

Good or bad

biko

Yours?

OldMrBrennan83

They're fairly useless if you need them but never had a direct bad experience.

happyoutscan

Majority are good at what they do, some are useless at what they do.

gimli2112

got arrested twice only once I deserved it. They were fine both times but became total asshats months later the second time. Seriously lost respect for them. They have a difficult job.

It's like any section of society some good, some bad some ok.

Kevin Finnerty

There's people riding Garda up and down the country. How personal do you want?

dxhound2005

Patww79 wrote: »

They're fairly useless if you need them but never had a direct bad experience.

Useless = bad experience?

Charlie19

Great bunch of lads.

The Phantom Jipper

Fairly poor. A few months ago we had a drug dealer selling on our road at a fairly consistent time every day. There would be scumbags hanging around and forming a queue at the corner in advance of him coming. The police were informed of this multiple times and given the time and place where this would be happening- it was like feckin Minority Report, all they had to do was send someone down to catch the guy. This went on for several MONTHS about 5 minutes walk away from one of the big Dublin police stations. It was a pathetic effort by the police and it was lucky someone didn't take the law into their own hands.

retro:electro

Only dealings I’ve ever had with Garda is when they’ve stamped my passport forms.
If you find yourself frequented with the Guards more than the average person, well there’s probably a reason for that.

JustAYoungLad

Theyre alright. One of my classmates in secondary dropped out of uni to become a gard. Solid bloke. If other gards are like him then ive no problem

OldMrBrennan83

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Useless = bad experience?

Not really. They're understaffed in a lot of areas, so while that's useless it's not really their fault.

Franz Von Peppercorn

I never see them and I’ve been lucky enough to not be involved with criminality.

SEPT 23 1989

They are there to protect the state

Fcuk around with the state and see what happens

Civilian stuff apart from state revenue collection exercises not so good

NIMAN

Great bunch of lads.

opfleet

A lot of Gardai will never reach their full potential because of zero resources, poor training and lack of respect from the public which causes low morale over time. The same can be said for nurses, teachers etc. Just because a crime goes unsolved does not mean that nothing was done..Yes, some Gardai may be in a bad mood when you deal with them, but bear in mind they may have just come from a suicide, sudden death etc. The only difference between them and you is the uniform. Just trying to do a job.

dxhound2005

Patww79 wrote: »

Not really. They're understaffed in a lot of areas, so while that's useless it's not really their fault.

If you think they are useless when you need them, then that makes for a bad experience. As far as resources go their new chief thinks they are adequate.

Mr Harris said the force was “well resourced” and the “first thing” he was going to do was examine if that money was used effectively and efficiently.

“Before I ask for more, I want to understand exactly how we are using the resources we have.”

opfleet

dxhound2005 wrote: »

If you think they are useless when you need them, then that makes for a bad experience. As far as resources go their new chief thinks they are adequate.

Mr Harris said the force was “well resourced” and the “first thing” he was going to do was examine if that money was used effectively and efficiently.

“Before I ask for more, I want to understand exactly how we are using the resources we have.”

Says a man that only has been in the job a few weeks...No Commissioner will ever come out and tell the truth. They have a close relationship with the Minister. Is a political role.

BBFAN

No-one is going to tell the truth here!

dxhound2005

opfleet wrote: »

Says a man that only has been in the job a few weeks...No Commissioner will ever come out and tell the truth. They have a close relationship with the Minister. Is a political role.

I think he would know more about the resources available than people on the internet.

Wanderer78

Was arrested, detained, strip searched and questioned, but still have enormous respect for them, very difficult job

Trigger Happy

Shifted a ban guard one night. Grand lass.

Sleeper12

You treat them with respect and they treat you with respect.

Wanderer78

Sleeper12 wrote: »

You treat them with respect and they treat you with respect.

Not necessarily true in life unfortunately

Church on Tuesday

There's a lot of incredibly ignorant Gardaí out there, but in the main they're fairly decent and it's a tough job, especially in the cities, country not so much.

Not perfect, but they're the only line between the decent and the scum.

bsloepro

Couple of years ago my house got burgled. They stole my phone amongst other things, brought it home and took a few photos of themselves with it which got backed up automatically to my google account. A couple of days afterwards I saw this and put it together. I printed out the photos and brought it down to blanchardstown station, thinking this would help the garda catch the fellas who did it. Location services on my google account could help with locating them. So anyway guards in blanch thanked me. I heard nothing back. A month later I look out one morning and my car is gone. Unbeknownst to me they had nicked my spare key during the robbery. Guards come around later (hours later) after I report it stolen. I tell them I have an idea who did it and show them the previous photos - the response “ah we know these fellas, they’re travellers from Damastown, we’ll go around and see if your car is there”. It wasn’t. Long and short of it you can basically give them photos of who robbed you and where they went and still get nowhere.
Separate incident - Roll forward a couple of months and my missus gets knocked off her bike outside the four courts by someone opening the door of a taxi...that pretty rapidly left the scene. One of the security guards from the four courts was very nice to her and helped her get to James hospital. She reported it to the guards, and suggested they requested the CCTV from the four courts. She gets a call a week later from the guards to say they’d spoke to the security in the four courts and there was no CCTV of the incident. She left it at that but then a few days later decides to go down to the four courts and talk to security herself about the CCTV. When she gets down she talks to them “yeah we have the CCTV here, we are waiting to hear from the guards”.

Pretty useless overall would be my general impression. They’re pretty good at the low hanging fruit - busting people for drugs, hassling homeless people on the street, checking tax on cars, water protests, policing demos, evictions, etc, but when it comes to real police work, I’m not so sure.

OldMrBrennan83

dxhound2005 wrote: »

If you think they are useless when you need them, then that makes for a bad experience. As far as resources go their new chief thinks they are adequate.

Mr Harris said the force was “well resourced” and the “first thing” he was going to do was examine if that money was used effectively and efficiently.

“Before I ask for more, I want to understand exactly how we are using the resources we have.”

I'd take anything Agent Harris says with a pinch of salt.

joe swanson

Do a great job in spite of being used as a political football. Under resourced and underpaid.

hairyslug

Not sure whether it's the company I keep but the gardai that I know for social reasons are monumental dicks.

Gardai that I have dealt with for garda related stuff have been generally OK.

Sleeper12

Wanderer78 wrote:

Not necessarily true in life unfortunately

That's my personal experience

touts

The vast majority are ordinary decent lads and ladies who are doing a **** job with awful pay no resources and no real support. They have been worn down by years of abuse from the criminal class who are protected by the powerful legal industry and self appointed rights groups who all make more money the higher the crime rate. I wouldn't be a guard and I would strongly advise my son never to become one. But I have the highest respect for them.

Criminal informer

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Shifted a ban guard one night. Grand lass.

The important question, did she have a big arse?

I'll get my coat.

Captain Obvious

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Was arrested, detained, strip searched and questioned, but still have enormous respect for them, very difficult job

Good night in Copper's or bad night on the street?

Folkstonian

Don’t know any personally but I have lots of respect for them.

They must have saint-like patience to deal with the throngs off curb side lawyers they encounter when dealing with things in Dublin.

Always makes me laugh seeing videos of these scummers apparently bestowing the guards with their comprehensive knowledge of legislation and policing tactics every time someone is arrested unfairly, which is of course all the time

punisher5112

The pay isn't as bad as it's made out to be, depends on service and whether they change ranks and units etc.

I have had some good and some bad.

The worst was getting brought 4 times to court by one in Pierse Street after a taxi driver rugby tackled the front of my vehicle in stopped traffic.

He screamed help for 2 mins till 2 came running out as it was outside the front door of the station.

Statements were altered and also duplication between 2 guards where one done both and one wasn't even signed.

I had witnesses who could tell them what happened but they were never called and the guard it seems had some issue with me or knew the taxi driver and wanted to cost me money.

This lad Niall is a corrupt as fcuk guard and shouldn't be in that job.

Very dangerous guy and hopefully never see him again.

I know a few and friends with 2 and get on great most of the time with any I meet so my bad experience is a rare occurrence so I can't say oh I hate cops etc.....

Most are down to earth and will respect you if given respect back.

NickNickleby

touts wrote: »

The vast majority are ordinary decent lads and ladies who are doing a **** job with awful pay no resources and no real support. They have been worn down by years of abuse from the criminal class who are protected by the powerful legal industry and self appointed rights groups who all make more money the higher the crime rate. I wouldn't be a guard and I would strongly advise my son never to become one. But I have the highest respect for them.

I totally agree with you, but on the bolded bit.... my own son expressed an interest a few years ago, and I had the same concerns you would have and said as much. However, in discussion with my wife about it, I realised that he would be a great Garda, with his sense of right and wrong and he is the type to do such a job diligently and without fear or favour - I mean , what more could you ask for in a Garda. Anyway he chose a different path and I'm not sorry.

He has a close pal in the Gardai and that friend is a fine young man, as are all these young men and women I'm sure. (no doubt, the exception proves the rule, but in my three score years and a bit, I've only met one).

r93kaey5p2izun

My experiences as an individual asking for their help having been the victim of crime have been extremely poor, as was my experience with them throwing their weight around and abusing their position when I lived in a certain area. My experiences as a teacher asking them to come to the school and give a talk were good - same individual involved in one case and he was completely different in his attitude towards me as a teacher versus his attitude towards me as a resident of a particular area. A disgusting hypocrite. As an organisation I have zero faith in them and would no longer call them unless required to do so for insurance purposes. I feel sorry for decent members who discover what they have joined and are just trying to do a decent job.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Pretty decent to be honest. Dealing with one at the moment re an issue who’s leaving no stone unturned.

elperello

A while ago something belonging to me was stolen from someone else's property.
I had to go to GS to make a statement.
First off you have to meet the Investigating Garda any old Garda won't do.
Between their shifts and time off I finally got an appointment at 9pm one night.
Brought into interview room. Grim place with furniture bolted to the floor.
Apparently that is standard so miscreants can't throw chairs about the place if they get upset. Sort of took the gloss off the design precaution to see a bicycle leaning against the wall beside me.
It was like helping a kid with homework as I had to tell the story and it was all written down in longhand biro on sheets of A4. Crossing out spelling mistakes etc. Explaining detail of item stolen, make, type, serial no. etc.
All had to be read back to me solemnly and then signed. Pulse no. issued.

Never heard another word about it.

There was no insurance claim.
Several other people lost property in the same incident so I presume this procedure was repeated for each one.

Really as an initial report of a theft it could have been done by email with follow up and actual interview if necessary as a second step.

suicide_circus

The odds are stacked against police anywhere being "sound".

El_Bee

if you drug tested every gardai going on duty on a monday morning you'd have some very interesting results.

Autecher

Myself, some friends and some family have all over the years had some experience with the Guards as the victims of various crimes. We are nice, law-abiding, employed tax paying citizens and the exact word to use describing all of those experiences is disinterest. They just don't give a shít.

Dyr

I avoid them like the plague.

Captain Obvious

El_Bee wrote: »

if you drug tested every gardai going on duty on a monday morning you'd have some very interesting results.

There'd be 100,000 Gardaí on duty?

lotsobear

I know a few on both a personal level and through my job and the majority have very little interest. A lot of them put more effort into their nixers on the side than their full time job. Retired guards from the previous generation though in my option are 10 times worse, they came from an era with no oversight and still think they have influence.

Davidth88

By and large good. Totally let down by very poor leadership imo.

Yer Da sells Avon

A few years ago, I was almost shoved to the ground (saved by my low centre of gravity) by one, for the crime of walking too slowly past a protest on Kildare Street. Other than that, my experiences with the filth have been entirely positive. Even on occasions where I was caught speeding, and probably deserved a bollocking, they were perfectly respectful and polite towards me.

Allinall

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

A few years ago, I was almost shoved to the ground (saved by my low centre of gravity) by one, for the crime of walking too slowly past a protest on Kildare Street. Other than that, my experiences with the filth have been entirely positive. Even on occasions where I was caught speeding, and probably deserved a bollocking, they were perfectly respectful and polite towards me.

Yet you still call them the filth.

Charming.

notsoyoungwan

Got pulled for speeding once and got a horrendous bollocking from a guard, it was totally OTT and unprofessional- to the extent that when I went to the station the next day to show my licence and insurance cert, his colleague who had been there the previous day acknowledged he’d behaved appallingly.

I’ve never had to deal with them in a personal capacity other than that.

Have dealt with plenty in a professional capacity and have by and large found them to be decent people trying to do a job for which they are under-resourced and under-trained.

paska

I work in Retail with some food offerings. When it comes to shoplifters or unruly kids refusing to leave the premises. They are useless.

Yer Da sells Avon

Allinall wrote: »

Yet you still call them the filth.

Charming.

Bloody auto-correct.