Dominick Swift Waffle wrote: » No they wont assault you obviously but they might remember it some night they find him serving drink after hours or might get there a bit quicker if he rings them up over a burglary etc. Its in a business owners interest to be friendly with the Gardai. Why do you think so many places give free entry to them or a free coffee. Now I think its perfectly fair, every job has perks and getting a free coffee etc is the least a local business can do and giving free entry to an event,club etc is no different, it keeps them happy and is no more than they deserve in most cases for the hard job that they do.
gobnaitolunacy wrote: » Gardai who indulge in this activity are not much better than a protection racket IMO. So, on that line of logic, should they march into Harvey Normans/Tescos/or wherever and demand free stuff?
Dominick Swift Waffle wrote: » Ah the usual crap about marching into harvey norman etc. Comparing getting a free coffee with your roll in topaz and getting a free tv is beyond brain dead. As has been stated its not just Gardai who get these perks, other front line staff do also. Having the gardai calling to the shop for their lunch more often is good for the shop as people know there is a high chance of a Garda presence and good for the guard if he gets a free coffee. Most people get perks in their jobs, some a lot better than a few free cups of tea and saving a 10er getting into a night club.
gobnaitolunacy wrote: » It may have escaped your notice but there are many, many lower priced items than tvs in HN's. Fair enough maybe the odd freebie from Topaz but whipping out the id everytime for niteclubs etc is tearing the arse out of it and not good PR for the force when the public see it happening.
Thundercats Ho wrote: » Not a millions miles off tbh. Mate of mine works nights in Tesco (12am-8am) stocking shelves, and Guards turn up from time to time to do shopping. The place is closed at midnight (to the public). I really couldn't give a fúck what privileges they get. I wouldn't fancy their job, dealing with proper scumbags every day.
msg11 wrote: » Comparing a cup of coffee, to walking into a shop and taking the weekly shop home for free. Have to laugh. Some people are deluded.
B.A._Baracus wrote: » Might as well throw this out there as a tidbit :P A uniformed Gardai is not allowed purchase alcohol. I've worked in a few retail jobs and they all said it's against the law to do so (funny, against the law, to sell to the law lol) But most will just put a jumper on. It could still be painfully obvious they are a guard. You could even see the gardai shirt popping out (lol) But once its covered it's legal.
true wrote: » My landlord when I was in third level was a member of the Gardai, and he used to used his position as a member of the Gardai to try to exert special deals too. As if they were not well enough off already. Sickening. The police forces in other jurisdictions seem to behave better.
ScumLord wrote: » This only happened to me in Latvia, we went into a club and a half naked cop drunk off his nut came over and said he was going to arrest me and showed his badge. I told him to shove his badge up his hole, luckily he didn't quite understand what I was saying and just started laughing and danced off on his merry way.
SB2013 wrote: » Yes I have read quite a few bits of bull****. But I'm asking you what toll roads Gardaí can skip through as you have stated this is something that is done but backed it up with an example that can no longer happen i.e. the M50
msg11 wrote: » Comparing a cup of coffee, to walking into a shop and taking the weekly shop home for free. Have to laugh. Some people are deluded. Also there are near 13,000 people in the force. I highly doubt every single one of them is using it to get into a nightclub.
FTA69 wrote: » Funnily enough I've never had EMTs, firemen and nurses march up to me at a nightclub door and flash their badge before attempting to stroll in without paying. Never. Not once. The reason cops expect to get in for free into clubs etc is because there's the implicit reasoning that "if you don't look after us, we have the potential to make life difficult for you as a publican." That's it. It's being going on in Ireland since time immemorial whereupon the cops will use their position to get free stuff. "Give me a few free pints or I'll nab people for drink driving next week". "Let us in for free or we'll be back to moan about the size of your smoking area on the footpath." It's a very mild form of corruption that is often in the pub's own interests anyway. I wouldn't even have a major problem with it if they arranged something beforehand and were slightly discreet about it only half the time they come across as complete w*nkers. Please stop trying to say it's a reward for frontline staff, it isn't. And I've dealt with doorwork enough times to know that's not the case.
FTA69 wrote: » No, but a lot of them are doing it and if you ask any nightclub doorman they'll tell you that. I worked over a dozen different clubs and have had it at nearly all of them.
Thundercats Ho wrote: » Not a millions miles off tbh. Mate of mine works nights in Tesco (12am-8am) stocking shelves, and Guards turn up from time to time to do shopping. The place is closed at midnight (to the public).
msg11 wrote: » A lot of them doing it dose not mean all 13,000 of them are doing it. I never said they did. Rather that it's a common occurrence and I've had it at almost every club I've done the door at. That's my personal experience. I'm not saying every single cop starts flashing their warrant card at nightclubs, but a few do. And my point is that they look like complete arseholes when they do. what if the Garda only uses his/her badge as ID, I mean if you ask the guy/girl for ID and they produce it technically it is ID. Balls. The main reason a doorman asks for ID is to ascertain age. There is no reason someone would produce a Garda warrant card at a nightclub door other than to blag their way past a queue or get in for free. As for letting them in for free, that's down to the club True. It's often in a club owner's interest to let the cops in for free because more often than not it's the same cops you'll be dealing with when you're caught having a staff p*ss-up and blaring music at 4am in the centre of town.
A lot of them doing it dose not mean all 13,000 of them are doing it.
what if the Garda only uses his/her badge as ID, I mean if you ask the guy/girl for ID and they produce it technically it is ID.
As for letting them in for free, that's down to the club
FTA69 wrote: » I never said they did. Rather that it's a common occurrence and I've had it at almost every club I've done the door at. That's my personal experience. I'm not saying every single cop starts flashing their warrant card at nightclubs, but a few do. And my point is that they look like complete arseholes when they do.
Dominick Swift Waffle wrote: » I'd happily look like an arsehole in order to save the price of entry to the club if I was a guard.
Dick Turnip wrote: » In relation to this, I have been in the car of an off duty cop a few years back where he produced his badge at the M4 toll booth to avoid paying. The toll attendant took down his badge, sorry Garda ID number and asked him what station they work at and then let us on our merry way without paying. Think it's allowed when on duty. That was 5 or 6 years ago so don't know if they've clamped down on it now for off duty guards trying it. BTW - his station is around 60 miles from the M4 toll booth so highly unlikely we were on duty at the time!
darragh o meara wrote: » What's worse is the Reserve Gaurds who also have the badge who flash it at every given chance. I know one or two lads in the reserve who show it off at any given opportunity. One of them even pulled in a car in his own car and gave the driver a lecture on bad driving of course while showing the badge. Same fella thinks he's constantly under cover...