An Garda Siochana ( your views)

connundrum · 03-03-2006 11:05AM

Local guards are generally a pile of arse, but in saying that I've had friends who've been let off with more things than I can remember (speeding, driving on a motorway without a full licence :rolleyes: , reckless driving, drink driving causing an accident, fighting, generally causing mayhem etc).

But because they let you off with a speeding ticket, they think they own you and should you be the victim of another crime ie. getting battered, then they have no interest in your story. You getting battered is just result of you speeding

Its amazing how Guards are still getting away with givin everyone a few digs when they're in custody, that 13 year old kid died in a cell from gettin kicked around the place. My 17 year old cousin was battered in the barracks for being caught underage drinking.. some guards seem to take the whole 'power trip' thing 120% over the limit, and nobody is there to tell em to stop

Maybe its frustration with the silly justice system that we have, I don't know..

moomoothegeek · 03-03-2006 11:07AM

were getting close here what is the point in having a police force if the court sentences do not reflect the crime. as far as I can see crime actually pays

I fought the law and the law won

Dilly1 · 03-03-2006 11:18AM

They are poorly trained, under funded, and under staffed. But thats the way things are in Ireland, half done, half assed, thrown together.
We still dont have a motorway connecting even two cities in this country (even Portugal have this) Some of the Garda do a good job considering how little training or resources they have. I mean you wouldnt want to have to rely on them to catch a crook for you, but then again you dont want to be getting sick in this country either or your screwed, off to the morgue with ya. :eek:

bobbi · 03-03-2006 11:32AM

The gardai have a very difficult job i think they do the best they can and are pretty fair most of the time( There is always a few) but come on one of the garda got a bottle of piss thrown over him in the febuary riots they got a lot of ****, they work dreadful hours and days xmas etc, its not the highest paid job, and they put their lives on the line to protect irish people like in the riots.

Pigman II · 03-03-2006 11:33AM

They're like bouncers in that just becuase they are impinging on your ability to be a dickhead whenever you feel like it they are automatically classified as ****.

If you find you're the kind of person who has issue with either or both of the aforementioned groups then I'd suggest that it is you who are the wanker etc.

The_Minister · 03-03-2006 11:34AM

Zebra3 wrote:

Why are they driving crooks like Charlie Haughey around the place? I don't see how this fits in with their role of guardians of the peace?

Maybe because he is an ex-taoiseach and they have to protect him?

AnTaoiseach · 03-03-2006 11:37AM

Putting bad experiences aside, I think the guards really are improving.
Looking back ten or fifteen years they have come a long way and can now be considered a proper police force (aside from the fact they don't carry guns). I think one of the big problems with the older guards is that up untill a few years ago, most lads joined the guards when they were about 17, and it was because their family were guards and it was a steady job in an unsteady economy. This leads to the problem of young impressionable lads going out to work with practised guards and learning all their bad habits.
The guards in general do a good job, but what you have to remember when dealing with any guard is that he/she is in work, and all he/she wants to do is go home and put his/her feet up.
Dealing with the public is not a pleasant job and I'm sure its even worse when its the worst elements of the public that you deal with on a regular basis.

LegacyUser · 03-03-2006 11:42AM

I think its the same as any other profession or organisation in the country, a few bad eggs give the entire force a bad name.
I know that some of the Gardai could quite reasonably be described as nothing but ****, I wont arugue with that, BUT, there are a lot of hardworking, good natured, law obeyding/inforcing men and women who serve valiantly, and as is the way, go unnoticed.
It is fair to say that in general, bad behaviour receives more column inches then honourable behaviour.

RoundyMooney · 03-03-2006 11:44AM

sillysausage wrote:

I think its the same as any other profession or organisation in the country, a few bad eggs give the entire force a bad name.
I know that some of the Gardai could quite reasonably be described as nothing but ****, I wont arugue with that, BUT, there are a lot of hardworking, good natured, law obeyding/inforcing men and women who serve valiantly, and as is the way, go unnoticed.
It is fair to say that in general, bad behaviour receives more column inches then honourable behaviour.

Nail, head, on,...

kellxor.1337 · 03-03-2006 11:44AM

Exactly, I see some good and have heard about some bad,
I've never had a bad expierence myself, I've been pulled by a few in the past after a few fights"Which i didnt start, self defence" and they've basically been pretty good to me,

Guess i'm just lucky lol

Kellxor

Binomate · 03-03-2006 11:52AM

I've only ever had good experiences with them.

cheeky_guy · 03-03-2006 11:56AM

lol you all badmouth them, yet you would be the first to go running to them when something goes wrong.

Thank god for the pigs!:D

LegacyUser · 03-03-2006 11:59AM

cheeky_guy wrote:

lol you all badmouth them, yet you would be the first to go running to them when something goes wrong.

Thank god for the pigs!:D

Not everyone is bad mouthing them though, and yes, most people would go them immediately if 'something goes wrong' because thats what they are there for, and the only other option available to you, apart from the assistance of the gardai, is to take the law into your own hands - which is never really a very good idea.

jdwals · 03-03-2006 12:06PM

In my own personal experiences with the Gardaí I have mixed views from them. I think about 75% positive but 25% negitive which is quiet a high proportion of negitive experiences.
I also know people directly who have had some bad experiences with the Gardaí.
I think the most depressing thing for me is when I think back to two times where I was mugged and had my car broken into which I reported to the Gardaí and the glazed look to their eyes and obvious lack of interest. This, I think says more about the state of the justice system than the individual Gardaí.
But I do want to take a second to take my hat off to the Gardaí who policed the riots last Saturday and tell them that they did a great job under the circumstances and that it is disgusting how the average Garda was left so dangerously open and exposed by politicians and senior Gardaí.
One plus, as I witnesed going to the Ireland match on Wednesday - they do have some stunning looking female members!;)

Savman · 03-03-2006 12:06PM

cheeky_guy wrote:

lol you all badmouth them, yet you would be the first to go running to them when something goes wrong.

show me an Option B and I'll take it.

StupidLikeAFox · 03-03-2006 12:18PM

The guards are like referees, they can never win. Just say theres two guards on the beat, and a fight breaks out, someone will say "Why werent the two guys locked up straight away". If the guards arrest them, that means bringing them to the station, doin paperwork etc and theres NO guards on the beat in all that time. So then there will be complaints that there arent any guards around. Also if some guy starts on you, and you're both locked up, then they're bastards again!

How do ya please everyone?

cheeky_guy · 03-03-2006 12:35PM

Well, ive had a few run ins with them up until a couple of years ago, ive gonnen raps of fists, batons and maglite torches mostly for giving them cheek lol but i still believe in them even though id never really go to them if something went wrong.

I just dont like the way people would call them over a robbery or something and then as soon as they are out the door, start sniggering about them behind their back. I know from my own experiences they have a tough job ansd to be honest the high majority of them do the best they can.

But their still pigs though. Especially Andy Hayes!!

Savman · 03-03-2006 12:46PM

ColHol wrote:

The guards are like referees, they can never win. Just say theres two guards on the beat, and a fight breaks out, someone will say "Why werent the two guys locked up straight away". If the guards arrest them, that means bringing them to the station, doin paperwork etc and theres NO guards on the beat in all that time. So then there will be complaints that there arent any guards around. Also if some guy starts on you, and you're both locked up, then they're bastards again!

How do ya please everyone?

That's not for us to decide, they have to please everyone. Its not like there's crime happening 24/7 so I'm sick of hearing the argument of "there's too much paperwork to arrest petty criminals" - bulls***. Speeding fines = paperwork yet they lash them out when they feel like it.

They are understaffed for most situations but that's not our frickin problem, we can only cut them so much slack. I'm sure the decent Gardai get pished off having such inadequate facilities in which to work, but if they think that's bad let them try and live in a disadvantaged area where the Gardai won't patrol. That's a bigger nightmare so any sympathy people have for the "poor Gardai" sickens me - they get paid for a tough job but they can walk away at any point and at the end of the day they clock out and they're outta there.

Spare a thought for the "poor people" who dont have the option to quit at the end of a long day and have to face bare faced thuggery on their doorstep week after week, regular car theft, open drug dealing, joyriding, muggings, stabbings, rioting, assaults, the list goes on. But hey, I'm sure there's too much paperwork involved to do anything about it :rolleyes:

Megatron · 03-03-2006 12:46PM

I've had some good dealings with them .

1 bad one .... guy was power tripping big time .

So i dont' have a problem with them as a whole , just 1 or 2 of em.

Esp my little brother who's a trainee garda ( a Pigglet

)

_Kaiser_ · 03-03-2006 12:50PM

Oh ok then... *WARNING: LONG RANT*

As anyone who caught the PrimeTime special on anti-social behaviour a few months back will have seen, my mam lives in Coolock and has been the victim of a sustained campaign of harassment and intimidation by local scumbags for the past 18 years!! Not ONCE has ANYONE ever been charged or even questioned about it!

The local cops are by and large WORSE than these scumbags.. why?

EXAMPLE 1:
Junkie scumbag next door kicks the front door in one morning. Cops are called. Yer one is screaming in her driveway at him: "yea I f*ckin did it!!". Garda response: "I don't want to go down the road of charging her!" - and he didn't.

EXAMPLE 2:
Another neighbour starts banging on the front door one night with just my mam in the house. Rings the local staton..no response. She rings me - I'm in Cavan at the time with no way home - and I ring them.. as usual there's no inspector availanle (despite a legal requirement that every station must have a inspector or higher at all times!).

I then ring the district station. Get a guy whose initally very helpful and promises to see what's happening. He put the phone down (not on hold - his mistake!) and I can hear him LAUGHING about it on the phone with the lads in Coolock. Then he comes back to me with an attitude. After shouting at this P*ick I get his inspector on the phone who promises to send a car.

45 minutes later a van turns up and goes to said scumbag's house (as he's gone in at this stage thankfully). His girlfrien answers the door and says "yea he's sorry - he's in bed now" (admission of guilt btw!). Cops arrive at our door and refuse to even take him in for question saying "we don't want to get him out of his bed!"

EXAMPLE 3:
Having had the front of the house pelted with stones for about 20 mins, a garda sargeant tells me on the phone he's noone in the area. As he says this, 2 of his officers turn up - sent by the crowd we were ringing about in the first place.
I ask them to wait while I talk to their sargeant. THey don't! I ask the sargeant what they wanted and he tells me he doesn't know. I offer to hold while he finds out... "I've no way of contacting them" he says.
"Right then" I reply "so you've Guards driving around with no radio or mobile??" "Uh yea.." is his answer... not just lies but STUPID lies!!

EXAMPLE 4:
When scumbag in example #1's car is stolen, a Garda car shows up at the door within 5 minutes and her car is back in an hour!! THEN 2 cars AND a van show up to make sure she's happy (and one of the Guards is caught on our surveilence camera making the smart-assed remark "sure maybe Norma (my mam) got it on tape!").
When this same scumbag clipped my wing mirror 2 months ago after tearing up the road, leaning on the horn, and FAILING TO STOP (hit and run btw), the local cops refused to charge her despite the whole incident being captured on camera and a copy of the tape and statement being presented by me. Why? There's no evidence to show anything happened. A inspector down there remarked to my mam that I'd "wasted an hour of his time on a incident that didn't happen" - thus calling me a liar!!

The Gardai in this backwater half-assed country (and I take no pleasure in saying that) are rotten to the core from top to bottom with no independent oversight or accountability. It's the EXCEPTION rather than the rule that you meet a decent one!

Btw.. if any mods wish to verify any of this feel free to PM me..
To everyone else, sorry for the rant but thanks for reading this far!

kellxor.1337 · 03-03-2006 12:50PM

Megatron wrote:

( a Pigglet )

I love it

Kellxor

Savman · 03-03-2006 12:55PM

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Oh ok then... *WARNING: LONG RANT*

As anyone who caught the PrimeTime special on anti-social behaviour a few months back will have seen, my mam lives in Coolock and has been the victim of a sustained campaign of harassment and intimidation by local scumbags for the past 18 years!! Not ONCE has ANYONE ever been charged or even questioned about it!

The local cops are by and large WORSE than these scumbags.. why?

EXAMPLE 1:
Junkie scumbag next door kicks the front door in one morning. Cops are called. Yer one is screaming in her driveway at him: "yea I f*ckin did it!!". Garda response: "I don't want to go down the road of charging her!" - and he didn't.

EXAMPLE 2:
Another neighbour starts banging on the front door one night with just my mam in the house. Rings the local staton..no response. She rings me - I'm in Cavan at the time with no way home - and I ring them.. as usual there's no inspector availanle (despite a legal requirement that every station must have a inspector or higher at all times!).

I then ring the district station. Get a guy whose initally very helpful and promises to see what's happening. He put the phone down (not on hold - his mistake!) and I can hear him LAUGHING about it on the phone with the lads in Coolock. Then he comes back to me with an attitude. After shouting at this P*ick I get his inspector on the phone who promises to send a car.

45 minutes later a van turns up and goes to said scumbag's house (as he's gone in at this stage thankfully). His girlfrien answers the door and says "yea he's sorry - he's in bed now" (admission of guilt btw!). Cops arrive at our door and refuse to even take him in for question saying "we don't want to get him out of his bed!"

EXAMPLE 3:
Having had the front of the house pelted with stones for about 20 mins, a garda sargeant tells me on the phone he's noone in the area. As he says this, 2 of his officers turn up - sent by the crowd we were ringing about in the first place.
I ask them to wait while I talk to their sargeant. THey don't! I ask the sargeant what they wanted and he tells me he doesn't know. I offer to hold while he finds out... "I've no way of contacting them" he says.
"Right then" I reply "so you've Guards driving around with no radio or mobile??" "Uh yea.." is his answer... not just lies but STUPID lies!!

EXAMPLE 4:
When scumbag in example #1's car is stolen, a Garda car shows up at the door within 5 minutes and her car is back in an hour!! THEN 2 cars AND a van show up to make sure she's happy (and one of the Guards is caught on our surveilence camera making the smart-assed remark "sure maybe Norma (my mam) got it on tape!").
When this same scumbag clipped my wing mirror 2 months ago after tearing up the road, leaning on the horn, and FAILING TO STOP (hit and run btw), the local cops refused to charge her despite the whole incident being captured on camera and a copy of the tape and statement being presented by me. Why? There's no evidence to show anything happened. A inspector down there remarked to my mam that I'd "wasted an hour of his time on a incident that didn't happen" - thus calling me a liar!!

The Gardai in this backwater half-assed country (and I take no pleasure in saying that) are rotten to the core from top to bottom with no independent oversight or accountability. It's the EXCEPTION rather than the rule that you meet a decent one!

Btw.. if any mods wish to verify any of this feel free to PM me..
To everyone else, sorry for the rant but thanks for reading this far!

Your honour, the prosecution rests.

Brother To God · 03-03-2006 01:24PM

Maybe it is my imagination (please tell me if it is!)
That those people living in well off areas and quiet
areas seem to always have a good impression of the
guards compaired to those unfortunate enough to live
in the poorer hotspots.I notice even in my city (yes I own it!)
of Limerick certain areas are lawless and the guards refuse
to even go to certain areas and arrest certain villains and
then the guards give grief to those good honest people living
there who make a "big fuse" or as a guard once said "people trying to pull innocent guards with familes into trouble the army should be dealing with".
compaired to those in the quiet,better off areas where the guards deal with
less hassel ,know everyone around and are quick to deal out the justice.I believe the guards change from area to area and I understand the fear for their lives but they should never have taken the job if they do not plan to do it to the full extent,while they are afraid to deal with certain people they are more than willing to dish out a beating to Joe Soap for being drunk on the streets!stange eh?

Sifo · 03-03-2006 01:45PM

Kernel wrote:

They generally do a good job under difficult circumstances, and like any public service organisation there are good and bad employees. The organisation could be managed better IMO. Kinda like the health service.

I've seen some great ones though, and when you see that, you realise how they help keep communities safe - which is a vitally important service in any society.

Don't get me started on the Garda Reserve Farce though.

BAAAAA AAAAAA AAAAAAAAAA AAAAA

You must realise that they do not do a good job and in many cases take the law into their own hands. Theyre a bunch of rednecks....

Tiesto · 03-03-2006 01:51PM

they are too fat to run!!

Ganjdalf · 03-03-2006 01:53PM

Kernel wrote:

Why not? What are you going to do, a Chuck Norris? I've seen very timely interventions from the Gardai. Helps if you know your local station number though.

The Only time I have EVER seen a Quick Garda Repsonse is when the window on McDonalds of O'Connel st was broken. They were there in SECONDS:eek: Fat bastards:D

I have very little repsect fro the Gardai. I have (unfortunatley) had a couple of run ins. Fair enough i was caught Stoned and red handed so to speak. But the Fact that they lied to me and the judge and the general public in court is what get's me. How are we supposed to belive in a justice system where the gardai can LIE under oath.

As for knowing the ;ocal number Im sorry but that won't help eithier. A colleague of mine was at home when her house was being broken into. They didnt get in thankfully but she did ring the gardai when the commosion was going on. Did they show............................. Nope to busy beeting on hippy's and students. I have been in this country a fair few years now and my faith In the Law and order systme here has become none existant. What need's to be done is that and independent Public Body should be set up to not rule over the gardai but to Imporove uponb and get rid of All these Corrupt, Racist, untrustworthy, Asshole Cop's that rove are streets in packs
off the streets.

Again I fully understand and agree with comments previousley posted on this thread that they can do a good job and that they are needed within community's. But I belive the time has come for them to loose there old way's and move on. It would make life more pleasent to know we had a compable Police force, Not a bunch of thugs

Ganjdalf · 03-03-2006 01:55PM

Brother To God wrote:

Maybe it is my imagination (please tell me if it is!)
That those people living in well off areas and quiet
areas seem to always have a good impression of the
guards compaired to those unfortunate enough to live
in the poorer hotspots.I notice even in my city (yes I own it!)
of Limerick certain areas are lawless and the guards refuse
to even go to certain areas and arrest certain villains and
then the guards give grief to those good honest people living
there who make a "big fuse" or as a guard once said "people trying to pull innocent guards with familes into trouble the army should be dealing with".
compaired to those in the quiet,better off areas where the guards deal with
less hassel ,know everyone around and are quick to deal out the justice.I believe the guards change from area to area and I understand the fear for their lives but they should never have taken the job if they do not plan to do it to the full extent,while they are afraid to deal with certain people they are more than willing to dish out a beating to Joe Soap for being drunk on the streets!stange eh?

Preace on Brother:D

StupidLikeAFox · 03-03-2006 02:08PM

Savman wrote:

That's not for us to decide, they have to please everyone. Its not like there's crime happening 24/7 so I'm sick of hearing the argument of "there's too much paperwork to arrest petty criminals" - bulls***. Speeding fines = paperwork yet they lash them out when they feel like it.

They are understaffed for most situations but that's not our frickin problem, we can only cut them so much slack. I'm sure the decent Gardai get pished off having such inadequate facilities in which to work, but if they think that's bad let them try and live in a disadvantaged area where the Gardai won't patrol. That's a bigger nightmare so any sympathy people have for the "poor Gardai" sickens me - they get paid for a tough job but they can walk away at any point and at the end of the day they clock out and they're outta there.

Spare a thought for the "poor people" who dont have the option to quit at the end of a long day and have to face bare faced thuggery on their doorstep week after week, regular car theft, open drug dealing, joyriding, muggings, stabbings, rioting, assaults, the list goes on. But hey, I'm sure there's too much paperwork involved to do anything about it :rolleyes:

See i would have more of a gripe with the government for not sorting out the problems with prisons/lack of guards/poor training etc. rather than your average guard on the street.

A good organisation starts from the top down, and if there is good leadership it will be reflected right down to the guard on the beat.

esskay · 03-03-2006 02:18PM

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Oh ok then... *WARNING: LONG RANT*

As anyone who caught the PrimeTime special on anti-social behaviour a few months back will have seen, my mam lives in Coolock and has been the victim of a sustained campaign of harassment and intimidation by local scumbags for the past 18 years!! Not ONCE has ANYONE ever been charged or even questioned about it!

The local cops are by and large WORSE than these scumbags.. why?

Did you ever think that the local scumbags probably make a lot of cash from robbing/dealing? Maybe there is money or "favours" being exchanged?

Zebra3 · 03-03-2006 02:49PM

Firespinner wrote:

Maybe because he is an ex-taoiseach and they have to protect him?

But if the GRA was actually interested in making the country safer, they'd say this is a waste of valuable resources. But instead they are happy to have their members doing a handy number. :rolleyes:

An Garda Siochana ( your views)

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