How bad are the Gardai and what do we do about it?

Dont call me Shirley · 06-06-2014 10:41PM #1

I know that this issue has been covered to some degree on AH in the past but I saw something during the week that frankly really shocked me. I was in Court supporting a friend and in the middle of the trial a guard was called up to give evidence on a procedural issue. When called, he just bare faced out and out lied to the judge. In a way it was a relatively minor issue in the case but had he told the truth it could have been significant. Didn't effect the outcome from my perspective, as the side I was supporting was still successful but what struck me was just how everyday and normal it seemed to him. There was five or six of us there who knew he just told a whopper (and he knew we did), there was a colleague of his there who would also have known it wasn't the truth, and I suspect a few more of his colleagues who were around would also have known. Still up he got, put his hand on the bible and brazenly lied.

I have a three part question to the good folk of AH a) have you ever witnessed or known of Garda malpractice, corruption or dishonesty like this, if so please share (usual rules, no names etc) b) how much faith do you have in our Guards (see poll) and c) if things are as bad as I feel they are what the hell do we do about it???

I suppose I had buried my head in the sand a little in relation to all that has come out about the Gardai over the last few years but I have to say this really opened my eyes. I can see now how those things went on in West Cork, Donegal and with the whistleblowers when in my own back yard a guard can get up on the stand and lie in front of ten or so people who know he's lying without batting an eyelid.

anncoates · 06-06-2014 10:43PM

Dunno Shirley.

minidazzler · 06-06-2014 10:44PM

The first indication that someone probably shouldn't be a Garda, is that they want to be a Garda. It's a profession that breeds corruption.

wazky · 06-06-2014 10:46PM

Glorified tv licence inspectors!

Awkward Badger · 06-06-2014 10:48PM

I think they are a group that have a tough job, dealing with some pretty difficult things that are not very straightforward to resolve. Like anything else you're gonna get a few bad eggs and a few numpties. But in general to me they seem like they do reasonably well all things considered.

NipNip · 06-06-2014 10:50PM

They're as dishonest as bejaysus from my limited experience! I have encountered an odd half-daycent one, but they're the exception rather than the rule. Just my experience.

kneemos · 06-06-2014 10:50PM

AH has truely gone to ****.

Slicemeister · 06-06-2014 10:50PM

Before I vote OP, option D " time to act". What does this mean?

Awkward Badger · 06-06-2014 10:52PM

Slicemeister wrote: »

Before I vote OP, option D " time to act". What does this mean?

Stick it to the man at any available opportunity I take it.

Awkward Badger · 06-06-2014 10:53PM

kneemos wrote: »

AH has truely gone to ****.

Yeah it's not the shining light it once was....

major bill · 06-06-2014 10:54PM

Had plenty of dealings with them down the years and heres what I find about them.

1. If you give them the slightest reason to treat you like dirt they will
2. If you go about your business like the majority of people they will leave you alone.

Slicemeister · 06-06-2014 10:55PM

Pugsly wrote: »

Stick it to the man at any available opportunity I take it.

Yeah, fcuik you Guards.

Like that?

Dont call me Shirley · 06-06-2014 11:01PM

wazky wrote: »

Glorified tv license inspectors!

Unfortunately they've the power to (and have) destroyed lives. Have to say I would probably previously been in the few bad eggs category. I've known some Guards who I thought were quite nice people, and maybe many of these people are in their private lives, but it was just so worrying to see brazen dishonesty being so everyday and normal for a group of Guards.

I suppose we all like to think we live in a nice safe world. What this week made me see is that we don't. We live in a country where, God forbid, if we were in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong situation the people who our taxes pay to protect us, would lie, cheat and deceive without a thought. Our well-being and safety meaning nothing in comparison to their dishonesty, self-interest or whatever twisted motivations this organisation has fostered.

Awkward Badger · 06-06-2014 11:01PM

Slicemeister wrote: »

Yeah, fcuik you Guards.

Like that?

Exactly. If that doesn't set things right I don't know what will.

Piliger · 06-06-2014 11:03PM

A handful of bad eggs but the vast majority are brilliant.

Dont call me Shirley · 06-06-2014 11:03PM

Slicemeister wrote: »

Before I vote OP, option D " time to act". What does this mean?

I really don't know. What have other countries done to tackle a culture of corruption, has it been successful? What are our options?

Stheno · 06-06-2014 11:05PM

major bill wrote: »

Had plenty of dealings with them down the years and heres what I find about them.

1. If you give them the slightest reason to treat you like dirt they will
2. If you go about your business like the majority of people they will leave you alone.

Agree with two, rarely interact with the Gardai, apart from form signing etc, but treating them with courtesy has always helped imo.

I've an ex who was in the police in the UK and the stories he told of the pure ****e he encountered day to day was horrific

Actually about 9 years ago I'd a summons for non display of tax. Rang the cop in question, agreed I'd produce proof in a station of my choosing (suited to my location) and summons went away.

Bit of decency goes a long way

c_man · 06-06-2014 11:05PM

I say we rise up. Infuriated by the constant "Criminal getting an easy sentence" AH threads, I'm of the opinion that we should disband the Gardai and instead have justice administered by Judge Dredd style law.

Son0vagun · 06-06-2014 11:07PM

Gardaí are only as bad as the criminals their catching. We should arm the Gardaí, and give the criminal bullet proof vests!

AndonHandon · 06-06-2014 11:07PM

I work in law and have dealt with them on the civil and criminal side. My opinion is that they do an excellent job with the resources they are given.

You will always hear stories of a rude garda or a garda who seemed to take the pIss (posing for a photo with folk on a night out, letting a RTA go for someone charming them) and the inevitable corrupt garda. But when do we hear of them being rewarded for little things like sending a car around to an estate where a dodgy character was reported, helping a drunk person into a taxi for their own good or even giving directions to a lost civilian?

We all need to realise that the GardaI depend on the community for information and support, they don't operate in isolation to us, they maintain the invisible barriers (laws) that we as a society have decided are necessary for all of us to live safe and comfortable lives.

I hope only a few people actually have disdain for the gardai.

LETHAL LADY · 06-06-2014 11:08PM

What happened to cause the trial in the first place OP?

Karl Stein · 06-06-2014 11:09PM

They should be made wear cameras so that anything they present in court can be backed with actual evidence.

The technology is there. Use it.

dxhound2005 · 06-06-2014 11:10PM

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

What happened to cause the trial in the first place OP?

There was a procedural issue which was only minor but could have been significant. That's the way I read it.

Stheno · 06-06-2014 11:12PM

Karl Stein wrote: »

They should be made wear cameras so that anything they present in court can be backed with actual evidence.

The technology is there. Use it.

Agreed let them live by their actions, I suspect 99.99% are lawful

Karl Stein · 06-06-2014 11:12PM

AndonHandon wrote: »

when do we hear of them being rewarded for little things like sending a car around to an estate where a dodgy character was reported, helping a drunk person into a taxi for their own good or even giving directions to a lost civilian?

Wait a sec.. aren't those the things cops are supposed to do and get paid for?

Davarus Walrus · 06-06-2014 11:15PM

The vast majority of the Gardaí are doing a fine job under difficult circumstances.

One of the most important accomplishments of the first Government was the establishment of a fine police force; especially considering the circumstances we found ourselves in that initial post-independence era. It has served us well I think.

Much of the vitriol these days towards the force is online. It's an easy escape avenue for various fringe republicans, freeman loons, angry young men and cranks to take cheap potshots at a body that really does a pretty good job considering the circumstances. Reform is always needed in most organisations. The Gardaí are no different.

Dont call me Shirley · 06-06-2014 11:15PM

AndonHandon wrote: »

You will always hear stories of a rude garda or a garda who seemed to take the pIss (posing for a photo with folk on a night out, letting a RTA go for someone charming them) and the inevitable corrupt garda. But when do we hear of them being rewarded for little things like sending a car around to an estate where a dodgy character was reported, helping a drunk person into a taxi for their own good or even giving directions to a lost civilian?

Years and years back I worked in the charity sector in a difficult setting. People would always say what great work we did, it was a vocation, how patient and kind we were etc. Those everyday things were our job and we were paid for it.

What really mattered and had the potential to cause huge suffering was whether or not we were abusive/negligent when we could get away with it, and would we report such practise if we saw it.

We follow that comparison to the Gardai, I think they'd fail on both counts.

LETHAL LADY · 06-06-2014 11:15PM

dxhound2005 wrote: »

There was a procedural issue which was only minor but could have been significant. That's the way I read it.

Just meant it must have been a serious issue to go to trial in the first place and also I'm a nosey cow.

Conmaicne Mara · 06-06-2014 11:16PM

Have had more contact with them than I'd like, found when going to them plenty of disinterest, lack of follow up, wrong information. With others have seen one sided reporting of "facts", changed reports. There's no doubt it's a tough job, but it's a service too and unfortunately there's quite a bit of "Irish service culture attitude" in it, or in laymans terms, **** off and leave me to my tea and biscuits.

pragmatic1 · 06-06-2014 11:17PM

The vast majority are good people. But as the saying goes, power corrupts. The types of people that are drawn to holding positions of power also doesn't rest easy with me.

Being from Donegal I've also heard some very sinister things about a few gardai and witnessed some misconduct personally.

On the whole though, they're decent folk doing a very hard job.

Dont call me Shirley · 06-06-2014 11:20PM

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

What happened to cause the trial in the first place OP?

Relevance? Is it ok to lie in some trials and not others?

I'm not going to say for two reasons. A, I don't want the thread to get misdirected into no smoke without fire territory and B, haven't you heard big brother is watching?:eek:

How bad are the Gardai and what do we do about it?

How bad are the Gardai? 484 votes

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