An Garda Siochana ( your views)

ArphaRima · 15-05-2006 12:16PM

love the idea of having authority

Which is where my point of accountability comes in.

Honestly; to the Gardai responding.
What is the garda complaints procedure? If I get attacked by a garda in custody, what is to stop them from threatening me with further charges to keep me quiet?

Have you ever through virtue of your position helped a friend or relative get a charge revoked or reduced? How many of your colleagues have you seen or heard of doing the same? What is your stance on this?

growler · 15-05-2006 01:13PM

I have zero respect for the gardai, I've seen them lie in court and conveniently lose evidence, they have an amazing knack of selective enforcement of the law (ensuring that no one of their friends or family get prosecuted), I have personal experience of their willingness to throw a few slaps if they think you're being smart. My last experience was when I tried to have my passport renewal form signed off by the local station, the garda on duty refused to sign it because I had a UK address and so "couldn't have an Irish passport" :rolleyes:

Institutionally corrupt and not very bright generally. The work of the bad (and there seems to be plenty of them) sadly outweighs the work of the good ones.

AngryAnderson · 15-05-2006 01:15PM

Manolo Blahnik wrote:

Everyone has a story to tell about times when the gaurds were unfair.

That's only the minority of cases.

In the end everyone is different. You can't hate all gaurds because of a couple of bad incidents. Like my best friend, years ago, saw her boyfriend being held down on the ground by three gaurds and being kicked in the face. Now she says she hates them all :rolleyes:

I think if you want to be a gaurd in the first place you must love the idea of having authority.

Feeling superior.
That's why you get so many p.icks out there.

Hmm, I'm not so sure. I'd say about 50% of experiences I've had with Guards have been negative, 50% positive. Which is a pretty bad ratio, let's face it. And this is just for things like going in and collecting passport forms and stuff! I've never actually been in trouble! Half the Gardaí I meet are grand, normal folk. The other half seem to have a real smug attitude and air of superiority about them. Which is a bit annoying considering it's my taxes which pay their salary.

the_syco · 15-05-2006 01:26PM

As my mate says, "alot of the guys at the college are complete arrogant pr|cks". He's training to be a Garda himself. Doesn't like a large majority of the people there, as it seemingly gets a higher amount of a$$holes than per usual in a job.

ChityWest · 15-05-2006 01:39PM

I have a lot of respect for them - any times I have ever rubbed shoulders with them they were fair and straightforward. I always take the attitude that if your not taking the piss out of them - then your not worth hassling from their point of view. If you start getting smart with them they will throw the book at you over the slightest thing (I am talking about motor stuff here - tax & ins etc).

I did see one joyrider getting some 'rough treatment' a few years ago (about 5 minutes after he had killed somone) - so I wouldnt be surprised to hear they were slapping people around and to be honest I dont have a huge problem with that considering the kinds of people they have to deal with. I think they compare very well to police in other countries - (thinking of spain, france & Germany).

Litcagral · 15-05-2006 01:49PM

fluffer wrote:

I speak of using the ability to clear road offences as a perk. Widespread (i can qualify if required)knowledge is that Gardai do NOT get points. Their relatives do not get points. Their friends do not get points. Most especially outside the cities.QUOTE]

I'm not so sure about that! My wife's sister is a Detective and she (my wife) has penalty points on her licence, has paid multiple parking and speeding fines, has been clamped several times and has just been summoned to appear in court for non-payment of a parking fine.

ArphaRima · 15-05-2006 02:55PM

My original post still applies. I would like to hear from Gardai about this.
Can anybody dispute that this happens?

I know of several friends that have been stopped and subsequently had their tickets/fines/points "vanish" because they have garda contacts to pull strings. I know one taxi company owner in Cork who habitually calls in favours with a local garda to erase his offences (speeding etc) mid-transit to a central database of some kind. This way he never receives points or fines. This has been going on for years. I have no idea what the garda gets in return (though probably nothing tbh).
My little brother was picked up for some kind of underage drinking offence. Again cleared by a sisters mate. I do not believe that is right.
All people should be treated equally before the law whether they know gardai, judges, or politicians.
I have spoken with several active gardai that boast about this as a "perk". I would deem it corrupt.

I have always been very glad to meet the guys who joined the force because they always wanted to, their family tradition, and/or because of a desire to do a good job. I have however met some that are there because their arts degree was too hard, they liked the uniform, or they wanted "to show them".
I think its sad to say that there are plenty like them, but that the rest hold the show together and unfortunately must bear the brunt of the negative public perceptions created by their lesser colleagues.

Boggle · 15-05-2006 03:02PM

I worry more about the drink driving perk...

you know the one: get pissed, drive home, if stopped show badge out window and drive on...

growler · 15-05-2006 03:26PM

on that note , I did once get a lift home from a cousin's wedding by two very drunk gardai (friends of his) . in the squad car. So they are occassionally useful !

drdre · 15-05-2006 04:23PM

growler wrote:

on that note , I did once get a lift home from a cousin's wedding by two very drunk gardai (friends of his) . in the squad car. So they are occassionally useful !

by two drunk guards.thats what i hate the ****ers can break the law and when we do then we get screwed.ba$tards

Tony Danza · 15-05-2006 05:16PM

drdre wrote:

by two drunk guards.thats what i hate the ****ers can break the law and when we do then we get screwed.ba$tards

I could be wrong but I'm guessing he meant that the 2 gards were at the wedding and rang for a squad car to leave them home.

Although I do agree, shower of bastards.

drdre · 15-05-2006 05:21PM

Tony Danza wrote:

I could be wrong but I'm guessing he meant that the 2 gards were at the wedding and rang for a squad car to leave them home.

Although I do agree, shower of bastards.

yes i think he meant they were at a wedding DRUNK and they gave him a lift home.they shouldnot be driving drunk.if that was a normal person we would be banned for 3 years and fined or in jail.
they ******************************* get away easily

as you can see i am really annoyed with cops in ireland.

ferdi · 15-05-2006 05:54PM

the_syco wrote:

As my mate says, "alot of the guys at the college are complete arrogant pr|cks". He's training to be a Garda himself. Doesn't like a large majority of the people there, as it seemingly gets a higher amount of a$$holes than per usual in a job.

hardly surprising, assholes are atracted to the position of power that being a police officer will put them in, its an inherently flawed system but the only one we have.

Big Nelly · 15-05-2006 05:57PM

drdre wrote:

yes i think he meant they were at a wedding DRUNK and they gave him a lift home.they shouldnot be driving drunk.if that was a normal person we would be banned for 3 years and fined or in jail.
they ******************************* get away easily

as you can see i am really annoyed with cops in ireland.

Is that because they catch people doing driving trick around estates? protecting innocent drivers.

Just heard on news that the complaints for the Garda is down this year to last, so they can't be doing all that much wrong.

drdre · 15-05-2006 06:40PM

Big Nelly wrote:

Is that because they catch people doing driving trick around estates? protecting innocent drivers.

Just heard on news that the complaints for the Garda is down this year to last, so they can't be doing all that much wrong.

No they are right in some aspects.and nig nelly im not talking about my situation.
also i seen cops sometimes driving dangerously and what happens to them nothing.:cool: and its not when they are in emergency. so in my opinion i donot think they are doing well.theres still MANY road deaths what are they doing to prevent that nothing.

Evil_Bilbo · 16-05-2006 04:35PM

Litcagral wrote:

My wife's sister is a Detective and she (my wife) has penalty points on her licence, has paid multiple parking and speeding fines, has been clamped several times and has just been summoned to appear in court for non-payment of a parking fine..

tell your wife to quit speeding you loon!:D

The drink driving thing really bugs me. I would like to join the garda reserve purely to bust those assholes driving home after a lock in. Alot of cops are okay when asking for directions etc, but when you need them, they are by and large useless. My bike got robbed a while back. Went and reported it, cop took details on a loose sheet of foolscap (like chief wiggum on his invisible typewriter) - walking up the road ten minutes later and SAW 4 scumbags walking along with my bike. Called the cop, he said "I cant send anyone out till after lunch" - arsehole.

I dont buy this "tough hours/tough job" lark at all (cant believe they're being compared to health workers here - now THEY have it tough). Have been on the wrong side of the law a couple of times and was in court recently. nearly everyone who needed their case arranged to a different date, the cop was on hols (this happened at least 20 times). They get paid insane (unlimited) overtime for (pretending to be) sitting in a car for a few hours around christmastime and the like.

I had a few mates who became cops and have turned into complete pr1cks since. Cant trust em. Dont hang around with them any more.

And they are by and large totally corrupt. they approve driving licences, work permits and a whole bunch of other **** that should never see the light of day for the right price. And they beat the **** out of people out of pure boredom - had a junky friend that used to try stay clean. Cops would pick him up periodically for no reason and beat hell out of him. Poor bugger had a really tough time for a year or so. Nothing ever happened the cops.

The garda reserve is a crap idea and will be full of busy-body power tripping freaks worse than the guards themselves UNLESS normal uncorrupt, non power-trippers like the people on this forum join it aswell. They could actually do some good and help clean up the w@nkerish image the cops have spent so long cultivating.

_Kaiser_ · 16-05-2006 06:12PM

Big Nelly wrote:

posts in support of gardai based on a few experiences he's had

Fair enough Nelly you've never had any reason to complain, and that's great.

But read back over what I posted earlier in this thread and then tell me that I'm somehow being hard on the gardai in the examples provided.

To the Guard that posted: Care to comment on the actions of your colleagues?

Oh, and a little update:
The latest incident (as recorded on camera about a month ago) shows a squad car pulling up outside the door at around 4am, the window rolling down and the next thing an object (later determined to be a stone) can clearly be heard striking the front door.

I couldn't believe it!! This shower KNOW that everything is recorded yet they clearly believe that they're untouchable. :mad:

Hagar · 16-05-2006 08:09PM

This is on page 104 of Aertel as at 8:00pm Irish 16/05/06

RTÉ News has learnt that An Garda
Siochána is to conduct an internal
investigation in the circumstances of
the arrest of a man who had taken legal
action against the gardaí.

Pat Rossiter is the father of Brian
Rossiter, who died while in Garda
custody in Clonmel, Co Tippeary.

Mr Rossiter was arrested on a public
order charge last year after he had
indicated his intention to sue An Garda
Siochána for the wrongful death of his
son.

Last week that charge was dismissed in
Clonmel District Court.

Is there any Garda who would like to comment or will we draw our own conslusions?

nxbyveromdwjpg · 20-06-2006 06:37PM

Kaiser2000 wrote:

Oh, and a little update:
The latest incident (as recorded on camera about a month ago) shows a squad car pulling up outside the door at around 4am, the window rolling down and the next thing an object (later determined to be a stone) can clearly be heard striking the front door.

I couldn't believe it!! This shower KNOW that everything is recorded yet they clearly believe that they're untouchable. :mad:

Send the videos to PrimeTime or somewhere like that

Turner · 20-06-2006 09:47PM

Why on earth would the Gardai throw a stone at your front door.

I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life.

Post the video here or else nobody will believe you.

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ · 21-06-2006 07:44AM

i always knew some of them were corrupt and all of them are just as guilty for allowing and supporting the rotten ones with a wall of silence.
but jeeezzzzzzzzuuus. the stories here are unbelievable... well truth be told its not unbilivable.
i feel sorry for the couple of good ones, but they have only themselves to blame for letting this rotten element grow and expand through the force like a cancer. Now it seems that the rotten element is the norm rather then the exception.
and all the stories have this "power trip" element.

its a catch 22... the more bad reports, the more the public resent them, the more aggressive and arrogant they get, and more bad reports and on and on.

i mean Pat Rossiter what was that all about.

ArphaRima · 21-06-2006 08:31AM

The wall of silence works here on boards too. A few were commenting earlier. Ask a direct question about corruption and they disappear.

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ · 21-06-2006 08:46AM

fluffer wrote:

The wall of silence works here on boards too. A few were commenting earlier. Ask a direct question about corruption and they disappear.

personally. i think that's disgusting.
every organisation has it share of a#s holes, that's just human nature
but the thing that makes the gardia so rotten is that every member knows the rotten ones and nothing is said or done, in fact the rotten ones seem to be protected.

and the silence that we have all witnessed here is proof to anybody that doesn't believe that this is going on and is just the tip of the iceberg,

_Kaiser_ · 21-06-2006 08:51AM

nm wrote:

Send the videos to PrimeTime or somewhere like that

The whole story was featured in October in the special report on Anti-Social behaviour they did. I should add that despite assurances on the programme from Brendan Hayden (Dublin City Council Estate Management), nothing has been done to address the situation.

_Kaiser_ · 21-06-2006 08:52AM

Chief--- wrote:

Why on earth would the Gardai throw a stone at your front door.

I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life.

Post the video here or else nobody will believe you.

There was plenty of footage featured on Primetime in October, copies of which have also been given to Coolock Gardai but they've refused to take any action or even question these individuals. Is it any wonder the Garda Comissioner and the Minister have had to step in down there now to try and curb the recent spate of murders in the area??

Out of curiosity, are you a Guard yourself?

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ · 21-06-2006 10:19AM

the fog silence that every gardai in the force is guilty of has descended upon us again....

layke · 21-06-2006 10:53AM

There are good Guards and bad guards. I have many stories.

Including a mate of mine being beaten up while in custody when he refused to leave the police cell without being able to make a phone call(was 18 at the time). Secondly another friend of mine this year being beaten up and then intimidated into signing a false confession which was later disproved.

When my motor bike was stolen outside of a friends house, I got two guards down to take a statement. They seemed bored and uninterested. 6 months later I get a phone call to ask "If I have found my bike yet".

Personally I can't wait for the internal affairs boys to start taking down the bad elements within the force, which is sorely needed.

I think this thread here has proven that amongst boards.ie posters the majority here are not fans of the work the tax police do, sorry I mean the guards. (except Chief who we suspect is a copper himself :P )

_Kaiser_ · 21-06-2006 11:04AM

layke wrote:

There are good Guards and bad guards. I have many stories.

Including a mate of mine being beaten up while in custody when he refused to leave the police cell without being able to make a phone call(was 18 at the time). Secondly another friend of mine this year being beaten up and then intimidated into signing a false confession which was later disproved.

When my motor bike was stolen outside of a friends house, I got two guards down to take a statement. They seemed bored and uninterested. 6 months later I get a phone call to ask "If I have found my bike yet".

Personally I can't wait for the internal affairs boys to start taking down the bad elements within the force, which is sorely needed.

I think this thread here has proven that amongst boards.ie posters the majority here are not fans of the work the tax police do, sorry I mean the guards. (except Chief who we suspect is a copper himself :P )

They have an Internal Affairs division already (Garda Complaints Board if I'm not mistaken - tried them too incidentially) but what's needed is a completely independent body that works.

I'm not saying that every Guard in the country is corrupt and abuses their position, but there is definitely an element that do, and these are the ones that need to be rooted out and dealt with. Unfortunately at the moment it seems like the old story of the "boys lookin after the boys" and herein lies the problem.

layke · 21-06-2006 11:09AM

I thought they were discussing that at the moment? I think I got my wires crossed, but the news was going on about a body that checks another body to make sure it's doing the work correctly... confusing, why yes it is.

Anyhoo, Just to say there are very very nice Guards out there, we all know it. I real stories saying 'if some theiving junkie is getting his head beaten off him it's ok'. Thats all well and good, but what if it's your mates who have done very little to warrent it... well it sets an attitude.

_Kaiser_ · 21-06-2006 11:23AM

The outright denial or "fog of silence" that these complaints have been met with here serves to just prove my point. I asked a boardsie a few pages back who identified himself as a Guard if he'd care to comment on the incidents I listed.. to date, there has been no response.

The problem is we have a very amateurish and unprofessional force in many ways that tolerates and covers-up things like the examples I - and others - have given (both here and elsewhere on Boards).

It's this that is the real problem with the Gardai.

An Garda Siochana ( your views)

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