Three men arrested after shocking incident involving bar staff on South William Stree

obi604 wrote: »

Nice

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/calls-for-knife-amnesty-after-three-men-stabbed-in-dublin-in-the-space-of-an-hour-40560205.html

It's laughable to think that those in Govt are saying all this stuff now, in response to incidents.

When the same headlines can be read in 2019,2018, 2017, going back 10 years.

Also, the same in power, talk about tougher sentencing for knife crime. Here's a lad with 30 plus convictions, got a month for having a knife, as well as other offences, all while these types of ideas have been refloated.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.galwaydaily.com/courts/man-imprisoned-for-having-a-knife-in-public-said-it-was-for-his-protection/%3famp

All talk now, until it blows over again, and nothing will change. The same since the dawn of time.

walshb wrote: »

I blame it on the lack of toilets, or is it bins?

I blame it on the boogie.

Mimon wrote: »

What is more of a priority than keeping people safe from scumbag thugs?

Nothing, but crime doesn't stop in other areas just because there's a crowd in one area. It was a running joke for a good few years but anytime we were put on the beat, we usually expected it to last a couple of hours at most before we'd be put into some spare car found somewhere and sent off to do calls. There are just not enough Gardai.

Muahahaha wrote: »

We dont have that in Dublin and until we do then these problems of scumbags taking over the streets will just carry on and on.

I agree with all of your post, but the issue boils down to numbers, of which there are still not enough, not near enough. And that's down to the budget, which needs to be massively increased to bring in more Gardai, pay them properly (25k?! Madness), equip them properly, retain them, retrain them, keep them updated... It's not there to make profit, but where will this money come from? Your suggestion of all those members and units available for Friday/Saturday nights, that's a lot, most stations would struggle to fill the available overtime to do that. Gardai themselves don't actually want to do overtime, but a lot have to because they need the extra money for many reasons. I used to volunteer a lot, but over time I stopped because it just wasn't worth the extra hassle in the end, job was busy enough as it was without adding to it.

I couldn't see how it could be fixed, especially not in my time, so that helped me decide to leave (among many other reasons). My mental and physical health had to come first, and the job can destroy both of those. Fair play to the honest members who can still do it. It's not immune to human folly, but it's one of those jobs that no matter how few cause the trouble, everyone one of you gets the blame. I was getting blamed for stuff that happened when I was still a child ffs!

The revolving door is the biggest issue though. We need more prison space, we need stricter sentences, we need jail to be a deterrent, we need crime to have actual consequences, and we need far better support and protections for victims. I just can't see it happening, at least not significantly enough to make an impact. I always thought that the Gardai were about 10 years behind the UK police, and that eventually we would get over our softly softly approach to crime and criminals, but I can't see that happening either.

As someone else said above, I know that these incidents are not always happening, but even the threat of it happening is enough to put me off. It's not like there are gangs of youths targeting each other, they're targeting everyone and anyone who takes their fancy. I have a great big ginger beard and I'm 5'6", that makes me stand out. I don't need to take the chance, regardless of how small it may be, it's my luck! And i'm not alone in that, even if it may not be affecting footfall as it returns, it will eventually.

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I agree with all of your post, but the issue boils down to numbers, of which there are still not enough, not near enough. And that's down to the budget, which needs to be massively increased to bring in more Gardai, pay them properly (25k?! Madness), equip them properly, retain them, retrain them, keep them updated... It's not there to make profit, but where will this money come from? Your suggestion of all those members and units available for Friday/Saturday nights, that's a lot, most stations would struggle to fill the available overtime to do that. Gardai themselves don't actually want to do overtime, but a lot have to because they need the extra money for many reasons. I used to volunteer a lot, but over time I stopped because it just wasn't worth the extra hassle in the end, job was busy enough as it was without adding to it

Yeah of course it involves more resources but it is badly needed now in the city centre because having no more than a handful of Gardai policing busy Friday/Saturday nights just isnt adequate to keep the place safe. DCC estimate that Fri/Sat nights see between 80,000-100,000 people coming into the city socialising between Dublin 1 and 2 yet there are nowhere near enough Gardai to police these kinds of numbers.

As to where the money comes from I would be in favour for at least some of it being paid through a levy on the rates of city centre businesses who operate in the night time economy, so all the pubs, restaurants, nightclubs from Harcourt & Camden St up to OConnell St and everything in between. The GAA already pays for hundreds of Gardai to police games at Croke Park on the basis these games bring up to 80,000 people into the D1/D3 area. So it shouldnt be seen as any different for the D1/D2 area on weekend nights where you have up to 100,000 coming into the area and extra Gardai are needed.

Im sure some would be complaining about it but Id say if you asked any business owner on Sth William St if paying a levy meant they have Gardai frequently on the street, maintaining visibility and acting as a deterrent to the street fighting we saw in that video then they would be happy to pay. It is not in those businesses interests for their street to gain a reputation as a place where a full on street fight can break out at any moment and recent events have shown us it is kind of going that way. The alternative of doing nothing and carrying on as we are is only going to result in less footfall in the city centre if people dont feel safe from these gangs of scummers marauding about the place and picking fights with random strangers just for their own entertainment. If thats allowed to continue then its a slippery slope to punters just saying they wont go into town anymore at which point the scummers will have ruined it for all of us.

Muahahaha wrote: »

Yeah of course it involves more resources but it is badly needed now in the city centre because having no more than a handful of Gardai policing busy Friday/Saturday nights just isnt adequate to keep the place safe. DCC estimate that Fri/Sat nights see between 80,000-100,000 people coming into the city socialising between Dublin 1 and 2 yet there are nowhere near enough Gardai to police these kinds of numbers.

As to where the money comes from I would be in favour for at least some of it being paid through a levy on the rates of city centre businesses who operate in the night time economy, so all the pubs, restaurants, nightclubs from Harcourt & Camden St up to OConnell St and everything in between. The GAA already pays for hundreds of Gardai to police games at Croke Park on the basis these games bring up to 80,000 people into the D1/D3 area. So it shouldnt be seen as any different for the D1/D2 area on weekend nights where you have up to 100,000 coming into the area and extra Gardai are needed.

Im sure some would be complaining about it but Id say if you asked any business owner on Sth William St if paying a levy meant they have Gardai frequently on the street, maintaining visibility and acting as a deterrent to the street fighting we saw in that video then they would be happy to pay. It is not in those businesses interests for their street to gain a reputation as a place where a full on street fight can break out at any moment and recent events have shown us it is kind of going that way. The alternative of doing nothing and carrying on as we are is only going to result in less footfall in the city centre if people dont feel safe from these gangs of scummers marauding about the place and picking fights with random strangers just for their own entertainment. If thats allowed to continue then its a slippery slope to punters just saying they wont go into town anymore at which point the scummers will have ruined it for all of us.

its not that the Gardai don't know or catch these guy either or in the near future. When they are caught there is nothing done the courts let them out. No lessons are been given other than to keep doing what your doing as there are very little consequences to illegal activity. From a law respecting citizen you might think a suspended or short sentence is a lesson. But its not they don't care. The sentencing should be taken off the hands of judges in cases where the defendant has been convicted a number of times. Its clear they have not reformed and the previous court action has not stopped them. 10 convictions 10 years. This will clean up a lot of hard necks and perhaps make the others think a little before committing crime.

Maybe we have to do what the left says and give these citizens a Universal Basic Income immediately?

blanch152 wrote: »

The dodgy types connected to SF were clearing out the competition, to fund their criminal and political activities, not some type of Robin Hood behaviour

I don't know about that (honestly). I thought at the time they mainly did it (in Dublin, can't speak for elsewhere) to increase support for SF.
I didn't claim it was "some sort of Robin Hood behaviour" and in any case it I believe it is the job of the guards and the justice system to protect decent people from criminality and violence, not vigilantes/opposing forces of thugs. Vigilantism is a sign of failure.
I made no positive statements about it at all and you constructed that narrative in your own head.

Just a normal day on O'Connell Street

https://twitter.com/dubslife1/status/1406534016665370625

Fred Cryton wrote: »

Darndale voted over 80% SF so yeah someone in their family is voting for them.

I don't know why they'd vote SF. It's successive FF/FG governments that have given them everything.

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Just a normal day on O'Connell Street

https://twitter.com/dubslife1/status/1406534016665370625

AHHHH LEEEEVE IT OW

couple of nice shots there from the topless lad, he'd have more than enough for any of them 1 on 1 but that's not how they roll.