Your dealings with the Gardaí - positive or negative?

Fukuyama · 06-04-2011 08:01PM #1

I know there's a few Garda related threads going around at the minute but - have your dealings with the gardaí been positive or negative?

Mine have been mostly negative. When I was a kid I was treated fairly rudly by them (I was a fecken nerd that wouldn't harm a fly). For instance, hanging around in an empty school yard of a summers evening playing football they'd search us, take names, loads of remarks, intimidate, threaten, take the piss if a few of the younger lads were a bit nervous (we were like 14/15) only to then stand around for a few minutes and drive off

Then we'd have to wander the streets with nothing to do...

I'm older now and I can't say I've hand anything but negative experiences since then. I've been at a few protests. During the student demonstration (3rd Nov) everyone was walking down o'connell street. The volume of people was such that it started to spill over into the other side. Some fat **** of a guard decided it would be grand to baton my friend in the leg? Other garda were just directing people back but he decides to baton my friend who was on the phone at the time and of no danger...

Are your experiences positive or negative?

A poll would be cool too mods!!

-- Dean.

Redlion · 06-04-2011 08:27PM

To be honest, I haven't really had many dealings with the Garda, but on the occasional time that I have, it's been more positive than negative.

I work a job that involves Garda interaction. Most are grand, and will throw a friendly wave or hello my way, and are able to have a laugh and a joke. Any time I've had direct dealings with them, they've been more than helpful. Although, there was one occasion when a senior ranking member attempted to throw his weight around, but was brought swiftly back into line. He misjudged the timing of a power-trip.

A relative of mine has even worked in several Garda stations (not as a Garda) and they seemed nothing but pleasant towards him. They are after all just doing a job, and like any workforce you get the good and the bad. Like all people with authority, you will get some that go on power-trips, but from my experiences they seem to get labelled well too easily.

ScumLord · 06-04-2011 08:33PM

I got arrested by them years ago for hash, they gave me a snack box for free which went down a treat I can tell you. Can't say I was treated badly had a nice chat with the two guards during the interview about the drug laws and such.

I did think at the time if I was a real criminal the process wouldn't have scared me in the slightest every few minutes a guard would come in asking me if I was all right and if I'd like another cup of tea. Facing my parents was a much bigger worry.

blaze1 · 06-04-2011 08:33PM

Redlion wrote: »

To be honest, I haven't really had many dealings with the Garda, but on the occasional time that I have, it's been more positive than negative.

I work a job that involves Garda interaction. Most are grand, and will throw a friendly wave or hello my way, and are able to have a laugh and a joke

You sound like a traffic warden/clamper to me

Redlion · 06-04-2011 08:35PM

blaze1 wrote: »

You sound like a traffic warden/clamper to me

Nah, wouldn't work a filthy job like that

jay93 · 06-04-2011 08:36PM

Yes

Most of them are grand alot more are stuck up their own arse tough.
I've got stopped walking home so many times!!
They serched me and all but sure they were wasting their time as i had nothing on me at all :rolleyes::rolleyes:

One garda was a complete arrogant pr1ck to me on one occasion.
The mad thing is that when you actually need a Garda they are never around joke they are :rolleyes:

blaze1 · 06-04-2011 08:39PM

Redlion wrote: »

Nah, wouldn't work a filthy job like that

haha..

I cant comment on the gardi really never had to deal with them.

In england where i grew up the local cops seemed sound enough, took our names etc if we were pissed up, one of them ran the footy team I played for.

osullic · 06-04-2011 08:40PM

Yes

Redlion wrote: »

Nah, wouldn't work a filthy job like that

banker maybe

Dravokivich · 06-04-2011 08:41PM

Yes

i'm not a scumbag, so never really had an issue with them.

Hyperbullet · 06-04-2011 08:41PM

Yes

Always had positive experiences with the Gardaí in Galway. Never any issues. Also had to give a statement when I was 13 to the guards in Clare, witness to a hit and run. Never been offered as much tea in my life.

Logical Fallacy · 06-04-2011 08:41PM

Had a fair few dealings with them through various jobs and in that capacity they were mostly grand (this would have been weekly interaction). Had one or two dealings with them as a normal person and they were pricks.

Pauleta · 06-04-2011 08:42PM

If you are nice to them, they will return the favour.

RichieC · 06-04-2011 08:43PM

Yes

Had a few not very serious run in's as a teen from loitering around the estate... not since, though. I generally like our police.

Cork boy 55 · 06-04-2011 08:43PM

They keep asking me to be their friend on facebook, what's that all about?

Dravokivich · 06-04-2011 08:44PM

Yes

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

They keep asking me to be their friend on facebook, what's that all about?

keep yer friends close, but yer enemies....

Gunsfortoys · 06-04-2011 08:44PM

Dravokivich wrote: »

i'm not a scumbag, so never really had an issue with them.

Especially those scumbag TV licence dodgers.

seanybiker · 06-04-2011 08:45PM

Yes

One fella was a complete prick. All the other times they were all extremely sound. Never had to deal with them that much.

markc1184 · 06-04-2011 08:45PM

The majority I've been in contact with have been grand. Most can have a laugh with you etc. But like everything else it only takes one bad apple.

The only somewhat negative experience I've had, was when a Beangarda tried to tell me that the factory fitted ''tints'' to the rear of my car were too dark. I explained to her that it was black glass rather than a tint so she spent the next 15-20 mins trying to prove me wrong and peel it off. She gave up then.

Chaotic_Forces · 06-04-2011 08:48PM

Very negative except the few times I was actually doing things that were against the law!

Drinking in a garden at night, perfectly legal if you have owner's permission and are of age but that suddenly equates with you being the biggest scumbag in history and should be talked down by some scumbag on a powertrip.

Drinking outside the garden, twenty foot from it and suddenly when you're doing something wrong (drinking on the street), they're very nice to you.

Then of course there was the one time a Polish fella was about to get a hiding from two scumbags and the garda said "sorry, can't leave my post", despite my pleads with him he wouldn't tell anyone that could do something about it (I didn't have my phone at the time).

So basically they're complete bastards when I'm doing nothing wrong but for some reason, they're lovely when I'm breaking the law...

Course, that's only the ones I met.

CrazyRabbit · 06-04-2011 08:55PM

Yes

Almost entirely positive, even when being arrested (no convictions!).

Just had two Gardai in the Blanchardstown station (Dublin 15) who 'questioned' me for about 5 hours. Pretty much non-stop harassment, asking me questions I didn't know answers to.

prinz · 06-04-2011 08:55PM

Yes

Positive. Both work related and personal experiences.

galwayrush · 06-04-2011 08:56PM

Thinking about the last 10 times i've dealt with the Gardai, 9 times i have come across fantastic people, very helpful and professional and once, met an absolute **** with a terrible attitute problem on a power trip. I didn't take any **** from him and reported him to a superior whom i knew well. Now the prick won't even look in my direction LOL.

Offy · 06-04-2011 08:57PM

Yes

Any time a crime was committed against me they were complete donut eating useless twats. If Im not looking to report a crime they are sound as a pound but in my experience they hate trying to catch criminals. Any time I committed a crime and had to pay some kind of traffic fine they were the nicest most professional people in the world. Personally I think they love gathering money for the government but hate doing any other kind of work.

Storminateacup · 06-04-2011 09:00PM

Yes

Funnily enough, the only run ins I've ever had with the gardai have mostly been with female ones. They must be on some serious power trips, or sprouting extra large lady balls, but they're venom.

For the most part, my experience with the gardai have been positive. Now, I was pretty wild back in the day, but any time I had cause to have dealings with them, the male cops were generally a lot nicer and respectful than the female ones.

dr.bollocko · 06-04-2011 09:01PM

Yes

Dean0088 wrote: »

A poll would be cool too mods!!

-- Dean.

Sure thing bro.
</trollface>

Offy · 06-04-2011 09:03PM

Yes

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Sure thing bro.
</trollface>

Great troll......I mean poll!

johnmcdnl · 06-04-2011 09:09PM

Yes

at home in the countryside the guards i can't say a single bad word against any guard that I've come across

I'm now up in the bhig shmoke and the guards do seem to be far bigger pricks up here....

so I'm have a mixed opinion...

lastlaugh · 06-04-2011 09:09PM

12 yrs ago, my father was found in a local park after having a fatal heart attack. Three Guards called to the door with the bad news.
I answered the door and I could tell by them there was something wrong.

Fair play to them, they came into the house and comforted myself and my mother. Really nice ban garda and two gardai. Made tea for us and were very sympathetic.

Not a nice part of their job, and I have a lot of respect for them since.

ScumLord · 06-04-2011 09:10PM

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Almost entirely positive, even when being arrested (no convictions!).

Just had two Gardai in the Blanchardstown station (Dublin 15) who 'questioned' me for about 5 hours. Pretty much non-stop harassment, asking me questions I didn't know answers to.

Did you get a free snack box and 8 cups of tea? They make really nice cups of tea, I'm pretty sure there's cocaine in it.

Fluorescence · 06-04-2011 09:11PM

Yes

I've not actually had any dealings with them, besides occasionally asking for directions from one. Although one time when I was getting hassled by a big gang of junkies at a bus-stop on Aston Quay, there was a garda standing about 5 feet away ignoring everything that was going on. I wasn't particularly impressed, but I supposed he was waiting to see if they'd do anything more serious that he could arrest them for... *shrug*

Killer Pigeon · 06-04-2011 09:15PM

Yes

The only major dealings I had with the Gardaí was getting passport applications signed at my local Garda Station - never ever had a problem. Don't really understand why people hate the Gardaí so much, they're only doing their job like the rest of us. They have to put up with a lot of bullshit from clowns sometimes.

The simple code really is; stay out of shit and then you'll have positive experiences with them.

Your dealings with the Gardaí - positive or negative?

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