Being frisked by gardai

seanybiker · 23-04-2004 03:33PM

there is a guard in a certain part of the country"im not telling" who done nothing but arrest the wrong person" sgt son" and now the seargent is trying to fix him up , so not all guards stick up for each other . As for the marches I'd put money on it that the protesters will get violent.

Sundy · 23-04-2004 07:33PM

Originally posted by Ivan
No, you go out, burn a car, throw rocks and/or push gardai.

You expect to get detain, maybe questioned and/or spend a night in a jail cell.

You dont expect to get subdued and beaten to a bloody pulp by several Gardai.

Cop on man, nobody deserves to be beaten up, regardless of what you've done.

You see, there are these things called laws...

of course you wouldnt mind someone throwing stones at you or burning your car even taunting and pushing you would be exceptable! they would only have to spend the nite at your house and then be free to come back next year and do it again!

oh yeah could someone tell me what this protest is about? is it anti war, save the trees, close mcdonalds.
oh i remember now its a protest against the evil machine that is the EU!

Victor · 23-04-2004 09:03PM

Originally posted by pork99
People here do not know how lucky they are.

So we are lucky to be occassionally harrassed / threatened / beaten.

Originally posted by pork99
If the cops wanted any help to knock the sh|te out of those anti-social scumbags I would volunteer in a heartbeat

Doesn't that, eh, show your anti-social tendencies?

John R · 24-04-2004 05:00AM

Originally posted by klaz

John, I agree but only in the cases where the protestors did nothing to deserve it. And i'm not going to believe Indymedia reports that say that they didn't. Many of these protestors go out looking for trouble, and when they receive the brunt from the Law they complain. Can you really expect to burn a car, throw rocks, or push Gardai and get away with it?

Indymedia? My reference was to video footage shown several times on RTE of Guardai attacking various people who were not an imminent threat to persons or property (I know this because they were engaged in one activity: running away from the guards that were beating them). If any of these people had been commiting criminal acts then they should have been arrested not beaten.

Badly Drunk Boy · 24-04-2004 07:27AM

Those protesters weren't done for vandalism because the car they burned had been bought by them for that sole reason. OK, they could have been done for littering or some air pollution thing but that's it.

Getting back to the original post, a good few years ago (96/97) I was stopped by the guards and searched for drugs. Like cuan, because of the surprise of it I didn't have my wits about me to get names or ask by which act I was being searched.

Thing is, it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I was cycling across the Curragh (in Kildare) in the middle of nowhere when a cop car passed by me. When I came to a fork in the road I veered right, but the cops were on the other fork and proceeded to follow me and then pulled me over. I was told to get off my bike to be searched, and one of them had a fairly good search. While he was searching me he was saying "I know you don't I? You've been in the station a few times for drugs offences" (Probably so that he'd be covered by the rules previously posted). I said that the only time I'd ever been in the station was to get pasport photos signed. He persisted with his "story" but eventually let me go. The lad with him looked like he had just started and looked embarassed by the whole affair. The older cop was probably showing him how to harass the public.

But I know of a lad in a similar situation who spoke out against the cop who proceded to give him a £50 fine for littering for no reason (it was his word against the cop's).

FRECKLES · 24-04-2004 04:20PM

I think with the Gardai they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

They have a job to do and yes there are a few who abuse it without doubt but at the end of the day when any of us are in trouble they are our first point of contact.

The Management of the Gardai are old world - alot of embittered seargents, inspectors, etc who have left their power go to their head. They not only use this with the public but also with their own members.

The Gardai need to be brought into the 21st Century with their internal procedures.

There is also alot of bullying going on which is never reported - again as one poster put on in case of grassing up.

As for the May Weekend - I think there is now an air of tension due to the issue of individuals flying in especially to protest. Because there is tension and if you have any one person ready to cause trouble - on either side - the whole thing can blow up.

I am married to a Garda and I think its a horrible job - I would actually try to talk somebody out of applying for the job. And instead of going away for the weekend of the BH my husband will now be in Dublin for 3 days - he is not stationed anywhere near Dublin!

pork99 · 24-04-2004 08:35PM

Originally posted by Victor
So we are lucky to be occassionally harrassed / threatened / beaten. Doesn't that, eh, show your anti-social tendencies?

We pay them to harrass / threaten / beat scum when appropriate.

And no, it shows my social conscience actually.

You go and live in a country like Iran or North Korea and you will have something to whinge about vis-a-vis police brutality.

Victor · 24-04-2004 08:56PM

Originally posted by pork99
We pay them to harrass / threaten / beat scum when appropriate.

No, we pay them to obey and uphold the law.

luckat · 24-04-2004 09:05PM

Seanybiker, what makes you expect the protestors to become violent? That hasn't happened before.

Pork, we don't pay the Gardai to harass scum. Are you American?

The job of the Gardai is what their name says: Garda Síochána - guardians of the peace. That doesn't give them the right to batter people. Peace isn't helped by violence - from any quarter.

pork99 · 24-04-2004 09:13PM

Originally posted by Victor
No, we pay them to obey and uphold the law.

Well that involves having to deal with some very nasty people a lot of the time.

Who else, apart from criminals, spends so much time mixing with criminals? Gardai and Prison officers.

I realise the I'm putting my argument in coarse and emotive terms but sometimes the only way to protect people like us from criminals is by "putting the boot in". The idea being that they have to deal with the sh|te of society so we don't have to. Unfortunately it can rub off on some of them.

Victor · 24-04-2004 09:55PM

Originally posted by pork99
Well that involves having to deal with some very nasty people a lot of the time.

Hey, we all deal with "some very nasty people" from time to time, but we don't need to resort to violence do we?

While their frustrations might be understandable, their violence is not excusable.

pork99 · 26-04-2004 12:34AM

Originally posted by Victor
Hey, we all deal with "some very nasty people" from time to time, but we don't need to resort to violence do we?

We do not have responsibilty for maintaining public order so it's not an issue for us.

While their frustrations might be understandable, their violence is not excusable.

I'm not talking about allowing the cops to go out and batter anyone who "looks a bit funny". Sometimes reactive and defensive violence is required by the authorities to maintain law and order. ("There can be no liberty without the law")

For example in the coming May Day protests; thank feck we live in a country where public assembly for political protest and freedom of expression is central to our political system. It's a part of the foundations of democracy. However you do not have the right to turn that into an assault on lives, property and public order. Under those circumstances I hope the Gardai have the capacity to respond robustly and public support for doing so.

And I would not want to see a rerun of May Day 2 years ago where the cops lost control and lashed out. That was unprofessional. They were obviously caught on the hop, untrained and unprepared. I hope lessons have been learned and any response to any attempts at rioting will be measured and decisive. For example the way the Metropolitan police in London handled the May Day protests a couple of years ago. The protestors were simply coralled in Oxford Circus and dispersed in small groups.

Havelock · 26-04-2004 01:37AM

Sorry, are we talking about the reclaim the streets two years ago?
I was passing through the crowd by the white horse with a friend (thankfully we were both well dressed) when the police ran into the crowd. As we walked up to Tara St. we saw a Sgt (or inspector) instruct the van load of guards to remove their numbers before going in. The corruption is within the organisation at the level where it exerts force irreguardless of the posistive law abiding attitudes of the majority of its members. If the guy who's teaching you the ropes is corrupt you to will be corrupt, you may not even know it.
In the army your superior gives you an order you follow it. That Sgt gave an order, the men under his command obeyed (not saying that cleanses them of guilt, they knew it was wrong and some of them enjoyed it way too much).

This year I am bring two cameras, and making a visable presence of my self. Nothing enforces police sensiblity like a multitude of cameras and camcorders.

BTW, there are some lovely helpful and honest gardai out there. I meet them everyday. It is a minorty that is corrupting the organisation in my opinion . Its name is tranised terribly now. It needs some kind of clean up or re-organising.

lodgepole · 26-04-2004 09:32AM

Originally posted by Havelock
This year I am bring two cameras, and making a visable presence of my self. Nothing enforces police sensiblity like a multitude of cameras and camcorders.

Be very stern with any Gardai who attempt to take your camera or your film. It is your right to film any Garda who is on duty, it is in law that it is permissable. We're bringing two camera crews in for the day.

seanybiker · 26-04-2004 11:56PM

Its not the cops that will be doing it, its the protesters that WILL start off first.

lodgepole · 27-04-2004 12:13AM

Originally posted by seanybiker
Its not the cops that will be doing it, its the protesters that WILL start off first.

You're probably right unfortunately. This event is going to attract the worst of the world's protestors... People who want trouble with the police because it helps prove their points. Which really puts a downer on legitimate protesting, which the majority of people will be partaking in. Hopefully the Gardai will be able to handle it without resorting to behaviour like we saw two years ago. They have the law on their side, let's make sure they stick to it.

Musashi · 30-04-2004 09:15AM

Best I ever saw,mate of mine topped off his head on Acid!
Garda "why are u in that field?"
Micka " What about it?"
Garda " Do you have a horse in there?"
Micka " In me pocket?"

At this Stage Micka was frantically examining his gear for tiny horses!

Funny as **** to me!

seanybiker · 30-04-2004 01:29PM

Lodgepeople I agree hopefully there wont be a repeat. there is meant to be some nutters at this thing ruining it for the genuine protesters. Anyway we'll find out soon enough.

Kold · 30-04-2004 10:39PM

Originally posted by IrishMike
Power to Search

The gardai* have the power to search a person, vehicle, vessel or aircraft without a warrant provided they have reasonable ground for suspicion that a crime is being committed under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Reasonable Grounds

* "The demeanour of the suspect
* The gait and manner of the suspect
* Any knowledge the officer may have of the suspect's character or background
* Whether the suspect is carrying anything and the nature of what he is carrying
* The mode of his dress, bulges in his clothing and particularly when these factors are considered in the light of all the surrounding circumstances
* The time of the observation
* Any remarks or conversation which he makes to any other person which may be over-heard by an officer
* The street or the area involved
* Information from a third party, who may in given circumstances be known or unknown
* Any connection between that person and any other person whose conduct is reasonably suspect
* The suspect's apparent connection to any overt criminal activity".

Bastards

That is utterly ****ing scandalous. Especially as a quart of hash is hardly a ****ing firearm

Being frisked by gardai

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