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Mandatory sentence for attacking gardaí?

OutlawPete

I think this is a joke quite frankly ..

Call for mandatory sentence for attacking gardaí

Rank and file gardaí are calling for the introduction of a mandatory 12-year sentence for attacking a member of the force.

It is one of 20 motions up for discussion at the annual conference of the Garda Representative Association, which gets underway today and looks set to be dominated by debate on pay, conditions and resources.

Source.

"12 years" for assaulting a gardaí?

People are getting suspended sentences everyday for attacking members of the public.

I could understand it for attacking OAP's or something.

Seems to be the GRA are more concerned with becoming untouchable than actually making our streets safer for ALL members of Irish society.

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Mark200

I do think it should be a more serious crime to attack the people that are there to enforce the law.

12 years is a bit much though.

the keen edge

OutlawPete wrote: »

Seems to be the GRA are more concerned with becoming untouchable than actually making our streets safer for ALL members of Irish society.

Fcuking deadly, when can we expect them on our streets?

Michaelrsh

Up the Ra!!

connundrum

Court of Criminal Appeal will chop everything by 40% - 60% anyway so whats the point.

Along with attacks on Gardai carrying a 12 year sentence, I'd include groups such as:

Emergency Services (Ambo & Fire)
Pregnant women
OAPS
Children
Nurses & Doctors (whilst on duty)
Security staff (whilst on duty)
Postmen (whilst on duty)

The list is endless, which lets me draw the conclusion that an attack on anyone should carry a 12 year mandatory sentence.

Cookie_Monster

can I vote for options 2 and 3 in the poll.

There's a rather nice looking hawt blonde ban-garda in Dun Laoghaire

OutlawPete

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

can I vote for options 2 and 3 in the poll.

There's a rather nice looking blonde ban-garda in Dun Laoghaire

I never enabled the multiple choice option

Good Mod people, add multiple choice if ya can .. o/

Thanking you.

Gillington

If this is brought in then I want a mandatory 12yrs for when a Garda attacks a member of the public brought in aswell.

However, thats a different thread.

bluto63

Well it may prevent people who are trying to flee petty crimes from attacking the gardai and help bring them down faster, but it could also lead to a corrupt police force believing they can do what they like. I say no to that, I shouldn't live in fear from those who are supposed to protect me from fear.

Gurgle

I'm going to make a wild stab in the dark here - 'years' probably started off as 'months', but that wasn't a good enough headline :rolleyes:

Sykk

12 years is a bit steep now.. 1 year maybe.

OutlawPete

Gurgle wrote: »

I'm going to make a wild stab in the dark here - 'years' probably started off as 'months', but that wasn't a good enough headline :rolleyes:

It was BreakingNews.ie

Not TheOnion.com

WindSock

Right so I can rape, abuse and neglect my children and get 4-6 years but punch a garda in the face and get 12?

stovelid

What if they attack you first?

L.Jenkins

In all honesty, some Gardaí maybe **** and their jobs hard enough, but if they're planning on dishing out a minimum mandatory sentance for attacking them and Army personnel (soon to introduced or considered), then they may want to consider minimum mandatory sentences for other crimes too. For example, Rape, Murder and Manslaughter, Assault and other such crimes.

If they're only worried about protecting themselves then feck them!

Holsten

I'd support it, yeah.

Bonito

IMO it depends. If the Garda that's assaulted is put off the streets for a lengthy period then there should be a harsh punishment for the criminal. If it's just a slap across the chops from a drunken young/aul wan being rowdy going home from the pub it should be a cautioning or what have ya. Just treat each case individually, basically.

amacachi

Given what counts as attacking a Garda I don't like this idea one bit.

Itsdacraic

No way in hell would I support it.

I can imagine a garda on a power trip knocking some lad about the station and goading him that he'll get 12 years if he reacts.

L.Jenkins

Bonito wrote: »

IMO it depends. If the Garda that's assaulted is put off the streets for a lengthy period then there should be a harsh punishment for the criminal. If it's just a slap across the chops from a drunken young/aul wan being rowdy going home from the pub it should be a cautioning or what have ya. Just treat each case individually, basically.

It's very hard to prove anything, if you're that drunk as to hit a Garda in the first place and unfortunately the will bang you up, dinted pride is an awful thing. Better not to hit them, even if they hit you. The best thing any civvi can do is take a name, number and witness statements and lodge a complaint.

Bonito

djhunter30 wrote: »

It's very hard to prove anything, if you're that drunk as to hit a Garda in the first place and unfortunately the will bang you up, dinted pride is an awful thing. Better not to hit them, even if they hit you. The best thing any civvi can do is take a name, number and witness statements and lodge a complaint.

That's what I mean. Someone could give a Garda a drunken slap and possibly get 12 years and then someone could go and break a Garda's nose or bust them with a cricket bat or a hurley and get the same sentence.

ch750536

djhunter30 wrote: »

It's very hard to prove anything, if you're that drunk as to hit a Garda in the first place and unfortunately the will bang you up, dinted pride is an awful thing. Better not to hit them, even if they hit you. The best thing any civvi can do is take a name, number and witness statements and lodge a complaint.

In a real world democracy works too.

KevR

OutlawPete wrote: »

"12 years" for assaulting a gardaí?

People are getting suspended sentences everyday for attacking members of the public.

I could understand it for attacking OAP's or something.

If someone isn't afraid of the consequences of attacking a Garda then they sure as hell won't give a **** about attacking a member of the general public.

The problem is that there are too many people who are not afraid of the justice system and as a result they do what they want, when they want, to who they want. People need to be afraid of the justice system - I think a fairly good place to start would be to make people afraid of the consequences of abusing/attacking the people who enforce the law (the Gardai).

Will we ever have a safer country if there are people who aren't afraid to attack the Gardai? I really don't think so.

Mark200 wrote: »

I do think it should be a more serious crime to attack the people that are there to enforce the law.

12 years is a bit much though.

Agree.

copperfacegaz

id support it yeah ... p.s the reasons are in the name !!

stovelid

I'd hazard a guess that some uniformed thugs would love the idea of being able to dish it out under the threat of a mandatory jail sentence for striking back.

KevR

djhunter30 wrote: »

In all honesty, some Gardaí maybe **** and their jobs hard enough, but if they're planning on dishing out a minimum mandatory sentance for attacking them and Army personnel (soon to introduced or considered), then they may want to consider minimum mandatory sentences for other crimes too. For example, Rape, Murder and Manslaughter, Assault and other such crimes.

If they're only worried about protecting themselves then feck them!

The Gardai don't really have any say on the issue of sentencing. It's the courts/justice system that decide all that.

Obviously, assaults on Garda members affects the Gardai personally and that's why they are calling for changes in the justice system so that there are harsher punishments for assaulting a Garda. I do think that there should be more harsh punishments for things such as rape - you could say that it's the job of rape victim support groups to call on the justice system to issue harsher punishments for rape; I'm sure some the rape victim support groups have done this.

A 12 years sentence right across the board for assault on a Garda is too much in my opinion. It should be on a case by case basis but punishments definitely need to be more harsh than they are now.

topper75

Amongst those types who would assault Gardai, how many would make a calculated decision whether or not to do so based on the likely sentence?

Hugo Drax

connundrum wrote: »

Court of Criminal Appeal will chop everything by 40% - 60% anyway so whats the point.

Along with attacks on Gardai carrying a 12 year sentence, I'd include groups such as:

Emergency Services (Ambo & Fire)
Pregnant women
OAPS
Children
Nurses & Doctors (whilst on duty)
Security staff (whilst on duty)
Postmen (whilst on duty)

The list is endless, which lets me draw the conclusion that an attack on anyone should carry a 12 year mandatory sentence.

Mandatory sentances is misleading since if you read the statute there's always a mitigating "get out of jail" clause such as an early guilty plea etc. which provides for a lighter sentance.

KevR

topper75 wrote: »

Amongst those types who would assault Gardai, how many would make a calculated decision whether or not to do so based on the likely sentence?

The fact that the punishment doesn't even enter their head is what's most worrying in my opinion.

Thinking back to that story last year where a group of skangers beat up a Ban Garda when she asked them to stop drinking in public (Liffey board walk). Clearly people like this don't fear/care about the law, the Gardai and have no consideration for members of the public. Basically, a Garda was trying to enforce the law and make Dublin City Centre more pleasant/less intimidating for members of the public got the **** kicked out of her by skangers who have no respect for anyone or anything.

Dyr

good idea on paper, but I would'nt trust some garda's not to use it as go-straight-to-jail card when needs be. Secondly the gardeeys are the only people in this country legally entitled to carry the means to protect themselves from assault. So if they're tooled up AND being protected by mandatory sentencing why are we expected to take a beating and then just grin and bear it when the p**ck's case doesn't even get heard for two years?

Overheal

This is too broadly definied-sounding, on paper. And I hope they clean it up.

If a woman pushes back an officer during arrest, is that an assault? Automatically 12 years? Or are we really talking about the worst cases, where someone tries to knife or shoot at an officer, or get into fisticuffs.