Garda free coffee

perrito caliente · 03-02-2020 07:57PM

Joking aside, I had no idea that gards were sauntering into Centras and Supervalus across the country and taking off with free coffees, fruit, bags of wedges and jambons. As someone further up the thread said, there is a good reason gards, politicans and people in positions of power are held to the highest ethical standards. Shows you the state of the country when a post saying "shure it's grand" gets a hundred upvotes.

tayto lover · 03-02-2020 08:07PM

perrito caliente wrote: »

Joking aside, I had no idea that gards were sauntering into Centras and Supervalus across the country and taking off with free coffees, fruit, bags of wedges and jambons. As someone further up the thread said, there is a good reason gards, politicans and people in positions of power are held to the highest ethical standards. Shows you the state of the country when a post saying "shure it's grand" gets a hundred upvotes.

So you’re only too willing to listen to anonymous ramblings and take it as gospel.
Says a lot about you.

corner of hells · 03-02-2020 08:21PM

begbysback wrote: »

I would actually agree that it’s to the benefit of the service station, but not in the way you stated. Garda cars need petrol and must be considered valuable customers to service stations, I’m not sure how exactly it works, if individual Garda have a choice which station to fill up, or if they all go to one, but either way they would be seen as valuable customers to keep, or as a lucrative customer to entice - either way it’s good business sense to make a small gesture.

It goes out as a tender to supply fuel to Gardai along with the emergency services if they don't have fuel where they're based.
I suppose , if you think about it , if your have a tender to supply the Gardai fuel , you're going to make money and a coffee or tea given to a couple of Gardai is hardly going to be a big loss.

imme · 03-02-2020 08:53PM

This is not USA, stop being American OP.

And stop being silly.

KaneToad · 03-02-2020 10:20PM

shamrockvilla wrote: »

I've listened to you long enough and felt I had to comment.
Jaysus you sound like you have a serious problem with the guards. We have probably one of the least corrupt police systems in the world. The amount of abuse that these lads and lasses get in the normal course of their duties would not be tolerated by most other industries. They are just ordinary people protecting the country for,in my opinion, quite average pay. A cup of tea or coffee is not going to corrupt them.

I have no problem with guards. I do have a problem with unethical behaviour of public servants. It just so happens that someone started this thread about guards - hence my focus on them.

I also disagree that guards get average pay. I would argue (and do) that they are very well paid.

Xwebstar · 03-02-2020 10:22PM

I was in Krispy Kreme on the Northside

I seen a load of boxes marked ERU FOC?

mynamejeff · 03-02-2020 10:25PM

Xwebstar wrote: »

I was in Krispy Kreme on the Northside

I seen a load of boxes marked ERU FOC?

no you didn't , you copied that post from another thread where its also a silly thing to say

sort of sad really

dxhound2005 · 03-02-2020 10:26PM

Also the unethical behaviour of private business and of the general population in seeking favouritsm from the public service.

But the Garda regulations posted earlier in the thread do not rule out the acceptance of hospitality if it is offered. That is why they are there, to outline the circumstances in which it is allowed. But it is very clear in the regulations that a Garda can never ask for such hospitality.

Xwebstar · 03-02-2020 10:43PM

mynamejeff wrote: »

no you didn't , you copied that post from another thread where its also a silly thing to say

sort of sad really

Ok Jeff

It's also sad you felt compelled to reply

iamstop · 03-02-2020 11:20PM

I like my coffee to be 'Garda free'. Problem?

Strumms · 03-02-2020 11:36PM

dxhound2005 wrote: »

But the Garda regulations posted earlier in the thread do not rule out the acceptance of hospitality if it is offered. That is why they are there, to outline the circumstances in which it is allowed. But it is very clear in the regulations that a Garda can never ask for such hospitality.

Those regulations mentioned the ‘acceptance’ as being inappropriate.

amadangomor · 04-02-2020 12:06AM

Green Peter wrote: »

I don't see any difference as to me there are no strings attached. In fact I nearly always end up buying something else to go with it that I probably don't really need just to pay for something. My ethics don't hinge on a free cup of coffee.

See the post above from the lad going through the training course for the New Zealand police.I've quoted it below. Far more professional attitude to the matter. It's only a small thing a cup of coffee but for me it's indicates something wrong in the culture of the guards here. A professional police force should be beyond approach and this ruins that ideal.

"Corruption plain and simple. It's one of the basic examples used by NZ police in the recruitment process which I'm going through, you cannot accept free coffees from stores or garages and if caught would be subject to disciplinary procedures.
The perception to the public and to other businesses is very negative, it creates impressions of favoutism and expectations of quid pro quo and also encourages patterns of behaviour that criminals can take advantage of."

dxhound2005 · 04-02-2020 12:18AM

Police New Zealand regulations are much the same as the very short version of the Irish regulations which I read here. No approval is required from a superior, and there is no requirement to record or report a cup of tea being offered and accepted.

https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/gifts-discounts-and-hospitality-policy.pdf

And as in Ireland there is recognition that hospitality will be offered, and the regulations are there to outline in what circumstances it can be accepted.

 Acceptance of a gift, discount or hospitality should not give rise to a real, perceived or potential conflict of interest.

amadangomor · 04-02-2020 12:24AM

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Police New Zealand regulations are much the same as the very short version of the Irish regulations which I read here. No approval is required from a superior, and there is no requirement to record or report a cup of tea being offered and accepted.

https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/gifts-discounts-and-hospitality-policy.pdf

And as in Ireland there is recognition that hospitality will be offered, and the regulations are there to outline in what circumstances it can be accepted.

 Acceptance of a gift, discount or hospitality should not give rise to a real, perceived or potential conflict of interest.

Perceived in the wording is important here as this thread shows that taking a free coffee from a business can easily be perceived as a means of a conflict of interest so would rule out accepting it.

dxhound2005 · 04-02-2020 12:29AM

amadangomor wrote: »

Perceived in the wording is important here as this thread shows that taking a free coffee from a business can easily be perceived as a means of a conflict of interest so would rule out accepting it.

It would only be a problem if the business owner intends to gain some advantage. In which case the Garda would turn down the offer. If the business owner has no such intention, then the cup of tea can be accepted.

Cienciano · 04-02-2020 01:09AM

mynamejeff wrote: »

so your just going to keep on ignoring the poster that explained in detail how the dispatcher system works then ? and how the gardai have no say in where they go in the event of a call ?
how much benefit do you think a few cups of coffee and a stale donut earns a service station putting tens of thousands through its till every week

I never said gardai would not visit a place that got robbed. I'll say it a 3rd time. Gardai will obviously do a better job at helping they guy they know on a first name basis who gives them free coffee. There's a benefit to it. It's literally paying the gardai for extra service.

Graces7 · 04-02-2020 02:04AM

riffmongous wrote: »

But could he not just pay for it anyway?

Meaning you! He was a guest. At a party. Same as we all and each were.. OK? OK!

Graces7 · 04-02-2020 02:12AM

Cienciano wrote: »

I never said gardai would not visit a place that got robbed. I'll say it a 3rd time. Gardai will obviously do a better job at helping they guy they know on a first name basis who gives them free coffee. There's a benefit to it. It's literally paying the gardai for extra service.

Proof please? You are applying YOUR layperson;s standards to Gardai. Shame on you! These are professional Gardai.

Green Peter · 04-02-2020 02:33AM

amadangomor wrote:

"Corruption plain and simple. It's one of the basic examples used by NZ police in the recruitment process which I'm going through, you cannot accept free coffees from stores or garages and if caught would be subject to disciplinary procedures. The perception to the public and to other businesses is very negative, it creates impressions of favoutism and expectations of quid pro quo and also encourages patterns of behaviour that criminals can take advantage of."

I don't think corrupt cops worry about the ethics of free cups of coffee in the scheme of things. I'll take a gesture of good will in the form of a coffee anytime from anyone who's decent and genuine. I'll make that judgement based on experience and service. I'll drink it in toast to begrudgers, it tastes better already!

SniperSight · 04-02-2020 02:43AM

Worked in a petrol station...
Routinely gave free tea and coffees to Gardai...and Ambulance crew...and Defence Forces...and nurses/doctors...

Of course my hope was that if the Germans invaded, that the Defense Forces would parachute onto the building of the Topaz and liberate it first, cause you know...they owed me! I also figure that if I got horribly injured the ambulance would get there quicker and the doctors would treat me with the best equipment. And with the Guards I hoped that they would set up an armed post outside on the forecourt.

My God! Get a grip! Those people got free teas/coffees because I genuinely appreciated what they do. I was also aware that they may not get a break...that a cup of tea may be the only breather they get.

I didnt expect ANYTHING in return...no persons ever came in expecting a freebie and all came with money to the till.

Such utter, utter scutter being talked here!!

An Ri rua · 04-02-2020 03:13AM

Hate Actually wrote: »

You know the way usually a big shop or petrol station in some town will give guards free coffees? What's the story with this? Is it the case that the garda station has deal with the shop where they pay in advance, or do the shops just give them out free?

This wouldn't bother me either way. I'm just interested.

Slight aside but this is where the phrase 'spill the beans' comes from. Since the foundation of the Dublin Metropolitan police, the original Dublin coffee houses were frequented by the filth, as they were lovingly known.
As La Belle Epoque rolled in, they introduced different types of coffees. E.g. Black. Or Tan (we call them lattes now.

I heard this on a tour of Pearse St Garda Station by an Irish-American ufologist.

An Ri rua · 04-02-2020 03:15AM

SniperSight wrote: »

Worked in a petrol station...
Routinely gave free tea and coffees to Gardai...and Ambulance crew...and Defence Forces...and nurses/doctors...

Of course my hope was that if the Germans invaded, that the Defense Forces would parachute onto the building of the Topaz and liberate it first, cause you know...they owed me! I also figure that if I got horribly injured the ambulance would get there quicker and the doctors would treat me with the best equipment. And the with the Guards I hoped that they would set up an armed post outside on the forecourt.

My God! Get a grip! Those people free teas/coffees because I genuinely appreciated what they do. I was also aware that they may not get a break...that a cup of tea may be the only breather they get.

I didnt expect ANYTHING in return...no persons ever came in expecting a freebie and all came with money to the till.

Such utter, utter scutter being talked here!!

Someone's not diluting their coffee.....

SniperSight · 04-02-2020 03:16AM

An Ri rua wrote: »

Someone's not diluting their coffee.....

Dont drink the stuff, so I guess technically you are correct, I am not diluting it...good spot!

McDermotX · 04-02-2020 03:41AM

Used to see 2 or 3 of them come into the canteen of a large multinational just outside Dublin (shouldn't be too hard to figure that out....still going strong, pissing off local farmers etc) a few years back, for their subsidised dinner (completely subbed for them of course).

Fairly regular in that it happened at least twice a week on specific days, but I could never understand why ? I mean, what was the angle here ? Community spirit ? Shaking down this big private multinational with tales of how it might be awkward for them to stave of gangs of roaming tech criminals if they didn't hand over free dinners ?

Feck knows. Doesn't happen anymore with the most likely reasoning been the lack of a permanent Gardai presence in the town ever since, but I don't think it needed to be analysed any more than these individual Gardai just taking feckin' liberties.

An Ri rua · 04-02-2020 03:45AM

flazio wrote: »

Doesn't Applegreen give everyone free coffee every Bank Holiday?
Someone made the point about Doctors, well if I'd certainly offer them a cup if they were looking like they needed one but usually they are in the shop after their shift is over and caffeine is the last thing they need when heading for bed.

One thing I'm proud of in this country, we know how to look after ALL of our front line emergency response services.

A point worth noting is that it's pretty easy to identify emergency services workers. Not so a doctor or a heart surgeon. Or an office cleaner or a circus clown (well, ok, they're easy, and they intimidate the free coffee out of ya).

A number here have said they've worked in petrol stations. Anyone who's done an all-nighter in a locked petrol station must surely be damn glad to see Gardaí or indeed any emergency services worker. There's a comfort in it.

Ón another separate note, Revenue compliance staff are forbidden from taking anything other than water but, in practice, some will take a tea or a coffee. Staff have to make that judgement call themselves. Codes of practice are vital but I wouldn't be for making someone walk the plank for a watery coffee.

KaneToad · 04-02-2020 09:16AM

SniperSight wrote: »

Worked in a petrol station...
Routinely gave free tea and coffees to Gardai...and Ambulance crew...and Defence Forces...and nurses/doctors....

My God! Get a grip! Those people free teas/coffees because I genuinely appreciated what they do. I was also aware that they may not get a break...that a cup of tea may be the only breather they get.
!

Do you genuinely appreciate the work that teachers do? Or county council workers? What about ESB workers? Or air traffic controllers?

If not, why not?

SniperSight · 04-02-2020 09:25AM

KaneToad wrote: »

Do you genuinely appreciate the work that teachers do? Or county council workers? What about ESB workers? Or air traffic controllers?

If not, why not?

Teachers, ESB and ATC, sure I absolutely appreciate them...County Council...meh, not so much.

But its fairly obvious when I was dealing with a member of the emergency services/D.F...sure how am I supposed to know who is a teacher or ATC controller? You might notice they dont wear a uniform.
Would have thought that was a fairly obvious issue with that argument though.

Green Peter · 04-02-2020 09:37AM

KaneToad wrote:

Do you genuinely appreciate the work that teachers do? Or county council workers? What about ESB workers? Or air traffic controllers?

KaneToad wrote:

If not, why not?

Your bitterness over a free cup of coffee is unmasking something about you, tell us what happened between you and that Garda?

Graces7 · 04-02-2020 10:17AM

It surely is up to the individual Garda to decide what he/she does when offered a cup of coffee etc, Their free choice. and theirs to take any consequences should they make a mistake?

Such a fuss and so much begrudgery says more re the posters than about anything the Gardaí do.

shesty · 04-02-2020 10:29AM

Really, how does it impact your life?!

Garda free coffee

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