Half of Gardaí can't give chase or use siren

Vladimir Poontang · 14-05-2018 08:38AM #1

Story coming out today that HALF or Gardai can't give chase at speed OR use their siren as they are not qualified.

If an unqualified Garda wants to pull over a car he has to resort to flashing his headlights in the HOPE the car pulls over.

What. The. Fcuk.

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/concerns-over-lack-of-training-as-half-of-gardai-cant-give-chase-or-use-siren-842692.html

Fighting Tao · 14-05-2018 08:41AM

That's possibly one of the reasons there is very little enforcement on roads. It should be a requirement that within 6 months of turning out from Templemore that they are trained to the level necessary.

Vladimir Poontang · 14-05-2018 08:42AM

Why do they need training to operate a flashy blue light!

This is a national disgrace, no wonder the Gardai are a laughing stock

kneemos · 14-05-2018 08:45AM

They could push the flashy button and drive at normal speed presumably?

Fighting Tao · 14-05-2018 08:49AM

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

Why do they need training to operate a flashy blue light!

Pressing a button is complicated.

runawaybishop · 14-05-2018 08:51AM

kneemos wrote: »

They could push the flashy button and drive at normal speed presumably?

Nope, sirens cause other road users to act in a way that could be dangerous so you need to have an advanced driving course done to use them, same course covers driving at speed in pursuit etc. Big waiting list to get the course done as afaik you have to go back to templemore for a couple of weeks to do it.

zell12 · 14-05-2018 08:51AM

14-05-2018 08:53AM

Blue lights & sirens cause every other driver to act like they never drove a car before.
Training is required to deal with other road users.

whiskeyman · 14-05-2018 08:55AM

Love the bit in the article where the paper and a TD has demanded stats from the Gardai.

Stats from the Gards?

They'll probably say over 2m members of the force have the required training...

padd b1975 · 14-05-2018 08:58AM

kneemos wrote: »

They could push the flashy button and drive at normal speed presumably?

And stick their head out the window and shout bee-baw! bee-baw!.

Graces7 · 14-05-2018 09:07AM

Well, if you aint going to stop when police car flashes headlights at you, clearly you are a bad lad so they can radio ahead and get you stopped.

whisky_galore · 14-05-2018 09:14AM

All part and parcel of the learned helplessness endemic here.

Captain Obvious · 14-05-2018 09:21AM

It's actually more ridiculous than the story states. Almost all Gardaí are not allowed chase. AGS effectively have a no pursuit policy. What the story is referring to is members not being allowed break the road traffic regulations unless they have the driving course done. And it's likely more than half of drivers. It's a bit of a silly rule because their is a legal exemption for them anyway. So even though they are legally allowed break the speed limit for instance they can get disciplined for doing so.

Beta Ray Bill · 14-05-2018 09:59AM

This has come out in light of the Skangers driving robbed cars in Finglas.
The video on Social media shows chaotic scenes which most people were shocked by.
What a lot of people don't realise is that this type of thing goes on most weekends in that part of Finglas.
Look at the tyre marks on the ground in google maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/F95PtFo3iGP2

That person made the mistake of recording the video and posting it to social media. They have probably had all their windows put through at this point.

The Garda don't need to be able to pursue these little skangers.
The Scummers want a chase off the Garda. The Garda have a policy of non-engagement. They already know who they are, so they just pick them up after.
The reason for non-engagement is simple. The skangers ram Garda cars and a pursuit is V.Dangerous to the public.
Damaged Garda car is not good, It's means a car is off the road for a week or two while it's repaired, plus the cost of the repair.
Add to that even if they catch the little skangers nothing happens, the prisons are full, there is no where to put them so they just let them go with a suspended sentence.

We need more Prisions

vicwatson · 14-05-2018 10:02AM

Should get one of those portable ones that Starsky and Hutch had, plug it in the cigarette lighter socket

Riddle101 · 14-05-2018 10:20AM

You could probably do a tv show based on the Gardaí this rate. An Irish version of The Wire maybe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjtz-w0Xouo

ednwireland · 14-05-2018 10:32AM

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/12V-EMERGENCY-WARNING-REVOLVING-ROTATING-AUTO-RECOVERY-BEACON-LIGHT-BLUE/222756938943?hash=item33dd5924bf:g:RKAAAOSwehZaM6eX

there you go problem solved

Vladimir Poontang · 14-05-2018 10:57AM

Gardai should be passing out of Templemore already trained at this basic stuff.

How can you even consider yourself a policeman if you can't chase and pursue criminals in a car or use the siren?

It's laughable

Hector Bellend · 14-05-2018 11:15AM

The siren is sacred.

It's used for the puddin' box.

Graces7 · 14-05-2018 11:17AM

Thinking back to watching the UK "The Bill" 'not all trainees were allowed to take the Advanced Driving course. It was an honour.

Reati · 14-05-2018 11:19AM

That person made the mistake of recording the video and posting it to social media. They have probably had all their windows put through at this point.
[/QUOTE]

Not to derail, but yeah. I was thinking the same thing as it was shot from someone's garden and at one point the car pulls (well crashes) right up to that person videoing.

heffomike54 · 14-05-2018 11:25AM

Graces7 wrote: »

Thinking back to watching the UK "The Bill" 'not all trainees were allowed to take the Advanced Driving course. It was an honour.

This is not far from the truth. Driving the garda cars is a big deal for health & safety so I think the thinking is that, you should spend some time in the car learning from other garda drivers before you get to do the training. Plus, its all well and good being able to drive but if you think of watching a police pursuit on tv, they are able to give good clear directions as to where they are heading thus making the pursuit safer for all concerned. This knowledge would only be gained after working in a station for a period of time. Sat nav is a possible solution but they break and need updating constant updating.

diomed · 14-05-2018 11:36AM

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

Gardai should be passing out of Templemore already trained at this basic stuff.
How can you even consider yourself a policeman if you can't chase and pursue criminals in a car or use the siren?
It's laughable

The most sensible post ever.
I think they are happy if they can drive the patrol car to the local takeaway.

runawaybishop · 14-05-2018 11:38AM

Vladimir Poontang wrote: »

Gardai should be passing out of Templemore already trained at this basic stuff.

How can you even consider yourself a policeman if you can't chase and pursue criminals in a car or use the siren?

It's laughable

No need to be trained in it since they wont be driving a car for a while, the experienced gardai are the ones driving. Not much point training someone who will be a passenger for a couple of years and who may transfer to a different branch.

micosoft · 14-05-2018 12:24PM

runawaybishop wrote: »

Nope, sirens cause other road users to act in a way that could be dangerous so you need to have an advanced driving course done to use them, same course covers driving at speed in pursuit etc. Big waiting list to get the course done as afaik you have to go back to templemore for a couple of weeks to do it.

It's getting tiresome to see that people who know nothing about a given occupation are happy to make assumptions as to why "something is stoopid" without actually asking why?

Are there enough advanced drivers? Probably not.

Should every Garda that drives a garda vehicle be an advanced driver? Probably not.

Are there better ways of dealing with dangerous drivers ? Probably.

Non story about Garda operations.

Turtwig · 14-05-2018 12:29PM

The implicit assumption here is that they should be able to give chase. Why? Chase is fraught with both personal and public risk. Great for movies and ticking time bomb scenarios. Anything else?

Samuel T. Cogley · 14-05-2018 12:36PM

Many UK police can't give chase either as they're not advanced driver trained. I expect it's the same in most countries.

begbysback · 14-05-2018 12:40PM

I have a solution - there's at least 2 in a Garda car, half of 2 = 1

Let that one drive the car

whiskeyman · 14-05-2018 12:45PM

Turtwig wrote: »

The implicit assumption here is that they should be able to give chase. Why? Chase is fraught with both personal and public risk. Great for movies and ticking time bomb scenarios. Anything else?

Bizarrely enough, the majority of criminals won't volunteer themselves for arrest upon knowning the Gardai wish to speak to them.
Catching said criminals at the scene of a crime or with evidence can also work wonders when pressing charges or in court cases.
The risk involved is why the training is necessary.

badtoro · 14-05-2018 12:49PM

As someone said, it should be basic training that new Gardaí leave college with. It's embarrassing for us all that they don't. I'd suggest cultural or group think issue is at fault here. We don't seem capable as a nation of thinking and adapting without major upheaval.

Dravokivich · 14-05-2018 12:56PM

Turtwig wrote: »

The implicit assumption here is that they should be able to give chase. Why? Chase is fraught with both personal and public risk. Great for movies and ticking time bomb scenarios. Anything else?

The issue isn't with chasing thugs. People who turn away from checkpoints, people speeding, on their phones or has a potential defect on their vehicle a garda wants to assess.

Half of Gardaí can't give chase or use siren

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