Your dealings with the Gardaí - positive or negative?

pragmatic1 · 06-04-2011 09:15PM

Mostly negative.

06-04-2011 09:20PM

Yes

No negative experiences just yet.

I'd be around them a fair bit, usually in a joe soap manner, but once or twice in a 'working' manner.

The only bad experience I have was when I was entering a local pub and two detectives were coming out. I had a question I'd been meaning to ask at the station, so felt this'd be handy enough.

They were in an unmarked car, so I think one of them got annoyed or something that I knew straight away they were Gardaì, and he was fairly ignorant to me. The guy that was with him was helpful, though.

Out from that, I find that if you treat them with respect, they'll treat you with respect.

Killer Pigeon · 06-04-2011 09:22PM

Yes

Dean0088 wrote: »

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...

What are you talking about? I was at the student protests too, there were no Gardaí with batons on O'Connell Street, they were all on Baggot Street, luckily I didn't get involved in the riot. I made sure I didn't follow those ultra-left clowns.

epgc3fyqirnbsx · 06-04-2011 09:22PM

Good.

Two of my best mates are cops. Neither play GAA or say ve-hi-cle. Neither are complete boggers, both are quite intelligent and neither would fit the sterotype.

Both have been commended by members of the public to their Supers on their performance.
Both have had friends killed whilst on duty.

They're good cops, they're good people and these tar them all threads are retarded.

Chaotic_Forces · 06-04-2011 09:26PM

Aliyah Grumpy Runt wrote: »

Good.

Two of my best mates are cops. Neither play GAA or say ve-hi-cle. Neither are complete boggers, both are quite intelligent and neither would fit the sterotype.

Both have been commended by members of the public to their Supers on their performance.
Both have had friends killed whilst on duty.

They're good cops, they're good people and these tar them all threads are retarded.

Except nobody has said anything to tar all Gardaí so far. But wait, you just assumed the worse, kind of like you tarred all these threads the same way.

df1985 · 06-04-2011 09:27PM

Never really had many run ins really, i had a house party that got out of hand a few years ago, half the town was outside trying to get in. Guards showed up but they were really sound about it, i thought i was in for a bollocking but they said i was perfectly entitled to have a party even if my parents were away. they cleared the mob. Thats the only time i needed their assistance really.

Theres pricks in every profession so wouldnt tarnish them all, im familiar with the "big thick guard" type too though. Guards have the type of work where they need to appear perhaps tough or intimidating.....hence people thinking theyre pricks but if they werent tough/intimidationg then people would take the piss.

epgc3fyqirnbsx · 06-04-2011 09:31PM

Chaotic_Forces wrote: »

Except nobody has said anything to tar all Gardaí so far. But wait, you just assumed the worse, kind of like you tarred all these threads the same way.

BS. I'm on AH for well over a year and there is constant abuse to "culchie guards"

ShamoBuc · 06-04-2011 09:32PM

Yes

Thankfully I've not had dealings with them but I will say they have a largely thankless job. People rant and rave at them, yet if something bad happens they ring the gards immediately!!!
Having to knock at a persons door and inform them of a serious injury, car crash or worse still a death - no thank you. Not the job for me.
They have my respect for doing what they do and the vast majority of them do theit job well enough.

Chaotic_Forces · 06-04-2011 09:36PM

Aliyah Grumpy Runt wrote: »

BS. I'm on AH for well over a year and there is constant abuse to "culchie guards"

Oh... so from "these tar them all threads are retarded" to it only being on AH and for well "over" a year and also it's constant abuse towards "culchie gards"? :rolleyes:

Donald_ducked · 06-04-2011 09:39PM

About 50% good and 50% bad

I honestly do think they become bitter the longer they stay in the force

sagat2 · 06-04-2011 09:40PM

Only a couple of dealings:

After Ireland drew with Germany in the Japan World Cup I was drinking oustide the Stags Head on Dame Lane with a pal, we were getting pissed off by the taxi's flying down the lane with reckless abandon every few minutes telling us to get the f**k out of the way. So we did what any reasonably drunken lads would do at that hour of the morning: constructed a wall of kegs across the road, about 5 kegs high and stood there enjoying the chaos. So the taxi's soon started piling up and the enraged drivers who suspected the two fella's laughing hysterically began leveling torrents of abuse in our direction while dialing furiously on their mobiles. None of them got out of their cars, probably because we were fairly big bastards.
About twenty minutes passed before Dublin's finest made it two the scene, surprisingly both the Gards were from Dublin, a rarity. Anyway they were very reasonable, apparently we had managed to back traffic up all the way to Aungier street and they issued us a simple ultimatum, remove the wall of kegs and bring our pints back inside or else they would take us to the station. The taxi drivers were livid, demanding we be charged with something but the coppers were good to their word and let us go back about our business as soon as the wall came down. not long after the street was closed to traffic, not sure if it still is.

A year or so later I noticed the door to a neighboring apartment had been kicked in so I called the fuzz, took them about 10 minutes to arrive on scene. A couple of big country boys this time. Both were excellent and professional, we entered the apartment to discover it had been stripped clean by burglars and they patiently searched through the rubble until they found information about the tenants identity (the lads who rented it were down the country for the week). No complaints in either case.

Saila · 06-04-2011 09:40PM

Yes

jay93 wrote: »

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:

take your trousers out of your socks and things should go better

Fukuyama · 06-04-2011 09:41PM

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

What are you talking about? I was at the student protests too, there were no Gardaí with batons on O'Connell Street, they were all on Baggot Street, luckily I didn't get involved in the riot. I made sure I didn't follow those ultra-left clowns.

The crowd simply got too wide and spilled into the opposite lane. Most gardaí started to instruct people the other way to get traffic moving. One guard decided to baton my friend in the legs.

The small swell only lasted a few minutes at most... It's not incomprehensible you missed one small incident in a crowd of around 150000 people... And garda always have batons with them....

Doublin · 06-04-2011 09:42PM

A mix. I think it depends what station they work in. It's a closed club where you have to act like the majority in order to be accepted/one of the group.

I've only had serious dealings with 2 stations. Both in area's of serious crime, while mine were minor.

With one I was given a serious going over in the body one night, then when it
went to court months later, the amount of Guards there at my arrest was said to be half what was(4 to 2). I had no evidence, no name of the guard who threw the digs, but luckily the judge saw something was not right. I heard he later left the force after a number of complaints & someone dying in custody while he was on duty* (*don't believe any charges were ever brought against him re this).

Second station did not act out of anger, did their job, saw you as something to be processed and sent on to the courts. Did their job, nothing more, nothing less. Still see these guards around & we say hello, hows things, keeping your head down etc. whereas the first station I wouldn't even nod at guards from there. It all comes down to how you deal with other's & how you expect people to treat you. We all have interactions with others and how we do this defines us..

amacachi · 06-04-2011 09:43PM

Nothing but negative; semi-literacy, ignorance of the law, illegal search of a minor, trying to turn me into a grass, using my name over their radio, not responding to a fight involving machetes. etc.

Saila · 06-04-2011 09:44PM

Yes

Poll win

epgc3fyqirnbsx · 06-04-2011 09:44PM

Chaotic_Forces wrote: »

Oh... so from "these tar them all threads are retarded" to it only being on AH and for well "over" a year and also it's constant abuse towards "culchie gards"? :rolleyes:

yeah

:rolleyes: = tosser emoticon

Chaotic_Forces · 06-04-2011 09:45PM

Aliyah Grumpy Runt wrote: »

yeah

:rolleyes: = tosser emoticon

Really? I was under the impression it was to indicate that I would have "rolled my eyes" at the end of what I typed.

Hmm... I'll be sure to notify the users then that the meaning has changed!

Edit: Good for you, not having anything useful to contribute to the debate though. You just give a blanket statement about these threads, which is not true and then try to be funny, well done!

jay93 · 06-04-2011 09:46PM

Yes

Deleted User wrote: »

No negative experiences just yet.

I'd be around them a fair bit, usually in a joe soap manner, but once or twice in a 'working' manner.

The only bad experience I have was when I was entering a local pub and two detectives were coming out. I had a question I'd been meaning to ask at the station, so felt this'd be handy enough.

They were in an unmarked car, so I think one of them got annoyed or something that I knew straight away they were Gardaì, and he was fairly ignorant to me. The guy that was with him was helpful, though.

Out from that, I find that if you treat them with respect, they'll treat you with respect.

Have to agree that if you treat them with respect and not get cheeky with them they will be nice to you.however I was stopped by one garda before and he was an unplesent git very rude even tough I was being very friendly to him and answering all his questions that he asked.i think they were from navan garda station as our garda station here in duleek is always empty they are rarely if ever there when you need them!

Chaotic_Forces · 06-04-2011 09:47PM

amacachi wrote: »

Nothing but negative; semi-literacy, ignorance of the law, illegal search of a minor, trying to turn me into a grass, using my name over their radio, not responding to a fight involving machetes. etc.

Um... you mean they wanted you to tell them about any crimes you know that others have committed? That's kind of a normal thing they do.

Mr Keek · 06-04-2011 09:48PM

Personally, I've had mixed reactions.

Just like normal people, some are sound some are pricks.

My self an a mate got out of a taxi pretty late in our home town and an unmarked squad car just pulled up, and gave us a hard time for no reason...They were just on a power trip.

A friend of mine was assaulted and they were noting but sound.

Was acting the maggot after a night out back in college days, they seen me, they just told me to cop on when they could have done more.

One of my friends from school days is a Guard, he was out drinking with us, he was from the country, and seen a 'Townie' and suspected that he was drinking and driving, he called it in. Yet, on another occasion, a fella from the country did the exact same thing, he did nothing.

On a professional bases, I'm an underwriter for an insurance company, I deal with Garda queries daily; I come across some of them that are just out to get people, some that are just doing routine checks.

CrazyRabbit · 06-04-2011 09:51PM

Yes

ScumLord wrote: »

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.

I got offered a sandwich by a female Garda, but ended up eating some biscuits. I ate them very very slowly, just to annoy the Gardai who were questioning me. They were pissing me off at that stage and my patience was wearing thin.

Next time, I'll ask for one of these snack boxes!

ItsAWindUp · 06-04-2011 09:57PM

I saw a Garda smoking a fag whilst driving a squad car today. Good to see that our law enforcement seem to think that they themselves are above the law.

prinz · 06-04-2011 10:01PM

Yes

ItsAWindUp wrote: »

I saw a Garda smoking a fag whilst driving a squad car today. Good to see that our law enforcement seem to think that they themselves are above the law.

I saw one injecting heroin between his toes wth one hand, driving the car with his other foot and giving himself a handjob with the other hand.

jill_valentine · 06-04-2011 10:11PM

Mixed. Decidedly mixed. When my house was broken into, they were great, but most other occasions when I dealt them, they were a bit uh... less... than... great.

EDIT:

I should add, all interaction in a "I need to report a crime" context.

starviewadams · 06-04-2011 10:21PM

Yes

Totally positive,even when I've been caught doing stupid things like peeing in the alley behind O'Connell Street and walking down the road with a beer on my way to the bus stop.They gave me an auld lecture but let me off in the end.

If they catch you doing something stupid,just be honest and own up and admit to it and don't act like a prick.Majority of people who end up in trouble with the Gardai are people who give them attitude.

Kill them with kindness basically!

Potential-Monke · 06-04-2011 10:24PM

It's all going to depend on which Garda you meet. We all know there are plenty of dipsh!t Gardai out there, but for each one of them there are 100's more that are sound.

And it'll depend on where you are too. City Gardai are notoriously more stubborn and angry than country Gardai, they have to be. Country folk are nicer to the Gardai* but in the city there are a helluva lot more scum, and scum exploit weakness. I know a few Gardai who, after being transferred from a city station to a country station completely changed their attitude.

Also, keep in mind that the Gardai talking nicely to a bunch of students drinking in a green is seen as dereliction of their duty by another person, while going hard on the same students would be seen as over-reacting or abusing their power, for example.

General rule is to be nice, even if they're being a prick. If they do something which you think is illegal or un-called-for, thats what the Garda Ombudsman is for.

*in general

easyeason3 · 06-04-2011 10:27PM

Always liked Guards. I grew up around a lot of them & their kids & found them all to be fine.
Now I've moved to a new area & a few of them are my neighbours, give or take a few miles, I still find them grand.
I've never dealt with them during their day job, it's more a neighbourly/ social thing.

Once or twice I've come across complete assholes.

MagicSean · 06-04-2011 10:27PM

Yes

amacachi wrote: »

Nothing but negative; semi-literacy,

Surely more a reflection on the standards of the leaving cert.

amacachi wrote: »

ignorance of the law,

I'm sure it was them that was ignorant and you know your rights

amacachi wrote: »

illegal search of a minor,

How so?

amacachi wrote: »

trying to turn me into a grass,

What are you a contract killer or something?

amacachi wrote: »

using my name over their radio,

You'd prefer they used smoke signals?

amacachi wrote: »

not responding to a fight involving machetes. etc.

Sounds dangerous.

fontanalis · 06-04-2011 10:32PM

Potential-Monke wrote: »

It's all going to depend on which Garda you meet. We all know there are plenty of dipsh!t Gardai out there, but for each one of them there are 100's more that are sound.

And it'll depend on where you are too. City Gardai are notoriously more stubborn and angry than country Gardai, they have to be. Country folk are nicer to the Gardai* but in the city there are a helluva lot more scum, and scum exploit weakness. I know a few Gardai who, after being transferred from a city station to a country station completely changed their attitude.

Also, keep in mind that the Gardai talking nicely to a bunch of students drinking in a green is seen as dereliction of their duty by another person, while going hard on the same students would be seen as over-reacting or abusing their power, for example.

General rule is to be nice, even if they're being a prick. If they do something which you think is illegal or un-called-for, thats what the Garda Ombudsman is for.

*in general

It's a thankless job but the nature of it demands that any corruption/piss taking etc should be dealt with strictly. Unfortunately some cases in the past highlight what happens when they aren't dealt with.

Your dealings with the Gardaí - positive or negative?

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