Graces7 wrote: » Leaving small children by the road is not acceptable or responsible behaviour. Mothers often live on the edge financially . And in many other ways. What harm cutting her a little slack, letting her drop the kids off at school and taking the baby home then taking the car? Punitive rather than responsible community policing
bubblypop wrote: » This is not true. A Garda cannot seize a car when the tax is out one month, it must be out over two months.
Discodog wrote: » There was also the woman on Liveline who, from memory, had her car seized in Dublin & had no money & no way to get her & her children back to Sligo.
Discodog wrote: » Customs have their own rules. They can do whatever they like.
Try_harder wrote: » Money comes in? Sure Jan! They wont pay the tax, what makes you think they would pay the fine
Brodie Creamy Yolk wrote: » Grace, I can’t agree. I understand people are financially squeezed but it’s not an excuse to put your child into a car that has no business being on the road. There is clearly more to the story too than the tax being out by a month
elperello wrote: » Maybe then you might consider using more stern methods such as seizure.
Discodog wrote: » But what harm does it do, cutting her a little slack, if the tax ends up being paid anyway ? There were a series of checkpoints in the area during that week. No one had a good word to say about the Gardai afterwards. A little decency & understanding might help rebuild their reputation. I was living in London during the IRA campaign. Immense stress for the Police but they remained helpful & courteous. In all my time there I never had a bad experience.
Discodog wrote: » There were a series of checkpoints in the area during that week. No one had a good word to say about the Gardai afterwards. A little decency & understanding might help rebuild their reputation.
Brodie Creamy Yolk wrote: » Decency? Is not driving around on roads uninsured and with no tax. The understanding I’m sure is the grace period in the first two weeks Gardai tend to show if stopped and the tax is out. Months of unpaid tax? That’s taking the P.
Discodog wrote: » A lot of people have a car off the road for various reasons & don't realise that they have to declare it, especially as the law changed. I know someone who returned from Australia to find that he owed a fortune in back tax & as his no claims had lapsed, couldn't get insurance.
Allinall wrote: » Did he just drive on regardless?
Discodog wrote: » I was told a month, however it doesn't change the fact that the Garda could of issued a producer rather than seizing.
Squatter wrote: » What were the people whose car tax and insurance were in order complaining about? Or do you live in an area where no one pays their way?
Captain Obvious wrote: » I see it all the time on my local facebook group. The same person who posts a warning about a Garda checkpoint will be complaining about the Gardaoing nothing about crime in the area on other posts.
Discodog wrote: » Yes because they get fed up with never seeing a Garda except at a checkpoint. There is a big emphasis on vehicle crime which most people see as less important than burglary, assault etc.
RobbieMD wrote: » Im inclined to think that burglars might use cars.
Discodog wrote: » They are very unlikely to be pulled at a checkpoint unless they are unlucky and provided their discs are up to date, they won't be stopped. Any sensible gang will have a "clean" spotter car running ahead. Plus they know the back lanes where you never see a Garda. Checkpoints need results so they are set up where there is the best chance of catching ordinary motorists.
elperello wrote: » Which neatly brings us to the subject of the thread. It's clear from a lot of the responses that AGS have a job of work to do to improve citizens experiences of interacting with them. At a time of trying to rebuild confidence in AGS the new Commissioner should try to reduce the use of his people as revenue collectors.
Captain Obvious wrote: » Checkpoints provide intelligence and prevent free movement of criminals.
Discodog wrote: » Oh dear. You really believe that ? In Dublin, against gangs, maybe to a small degree but no where else. The checkpoints are on Twitter. The criminals have phones. Most Galway checkpoints are on the same roads. The most common place is Merchants Road. There are routes all around & through the city where you will never see a checkpoint. Checkpoints are so old fashioned & lazy. The UK Police call the traffic cops the shiny trouser brigade
Captain Obvious wrote: » I believe it's effective because I have seen it's effect and I've seen the difference between when checkpoints are regular and when they aren't in different areas.
Discodog wrote: » In Dublin ? The gardai only have a couple of checkpoints in Co Galway at any one time
lesterburnham wrote: » Good or bad
CrankyHaus wrote: » For most purposes checkpoints are inefficient and outmoded. Widespread ANPR, linked to up to date information banks, has been well within the abilities of technology for a long time now. Of course this reliance on them is not the fault of ranking Gardai, but it's hard to think of a better symbol for the obsolescence of the organisation than its ubiquitous checkpoints.
