Crimes against property: The Gardai dont give a damn

[mercman]

at least have police look into it.

The Gardai really couldn't give a damn in Ireland. If there was no one injured off they go and if they know who the offender was, they are simply let off the hook.

 

[Marietta]

The Gardai really couldn't give a damn in Ireland. If there was no one injured off they go and if they know who the offender was, they are simply let off the hook.

Why is this the case?? Are we the only country in the world that allows this to happen. There seems to be an acceptance in Ireland or people are resigned to the fact that these thugs can get away with their devious crimes. The Gardai are well paid public servants, is it because they are not enough of them to do the job??

 

[mercman]

Why is this the case??

It is and I see it happening. Have no desire to hijack this thread on a completly different matter. Am dealing with an incident which occured in April '10, where the Garai are fully aware of the persons concerned and refuse to deal with same.

 

[dereko1969]

It is and I see it happening. Have no desire to hijack this thread on a completly different matter. Am dealing with an incident which occured in April '10, where the Garai are fully aware of the persons concerned and refuse to deal with same.

Have you reported this to the Garda Ombudsman?

 

[mathepac]

Some time ago crimes relating to property damage ceased to be "headline crime". This is Garda-speak and it means that there are no metrics in place to reflect the levels of these crimes reported vs prosecuted / solved, therefore no incentive for Garda management (I use the term loosely) to commit resources to investigations / prosecutions.

 

[micmclo]

Have not read your original thread OP

All I can say is write a letter to the Superintendent tomorrow morning.
Do not email, do not call, just write a letter

 

[Yorrick]

I agree. Have your facts right. Send a letter to the Superintendent. Indicate that you wish him/her to appoint someone to deal with this issue. State that if satisfaction is not received then a report will be made to the Garda Ombudsman.

 

[RonanC]

ddI dont agree with this thread at all.

From my experiences of having to deal with the Gardai in relation to damage to property (cars and house) they have been very professional. One recent example was when a neighbour woke me up late one night saying that someone had broken into my car, I went out and the car door was open and some damage done to the interior (steering lock broken and so on). I rang 999 straight away to let them know what had happened and if there was a Garda car in the area could they keep an eye out (as it had only happened minutes before). The guy on the phone said that he would send a Garda car up to the house to look at the car and I said no its ok, its late at night and we can do it tomorrow but thanks for the offer.

Next day I went down to my local station to file a report with them and they also questioned why I didnt get Gardai called to the house, but that they would send a car up as soon as they could to get a look at the car. Within an hour or so Gardai arrived and took some notes for the report. They then said that they would like to have the car fingerprinted - which was done the following morning.

Two days later I received a letter from my local Garda station signed by the Super apologising for the damage to my car and that they would investigate as much as they could, no I knew nothing could be done but at least they showed an interest in what was a very small crime in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Niall M]

my car had its wing mirrors broken, as did a line of cars on our street when i got up one sunday morning. it also had a note on it saying to call garda with a number. they had caught the guys and made them pay to get all mirrors fixed. so, i dont agree with OP

 

[Leper]

Good man RonanC. Your neighbour called in on you to advise your car was broken into by thieves. They had long gone. You dialled 999 for emergency treatement. Hardly an emergency when the thieves had long gone?

Would it not have made more sense to ring the Gardaí on their normal telephone number and have let the Emergency Services deal with real emergencies?

If you think I am being harsh, just think your call could have delayed bona fide emergency response elsewhere.

No offence meant.

 

[gianni]

It appears from that they do take the problem of crimes against property seriously. As others have said if you get no joy escalate your complaint.

 

[RonanC]

Good man RonanC. Your neighbour called in on you to advise your car was broken into by thieves. They had long gone. You dialled 999 for emergency treatement. Hardly an emergency when the thieves had long gone?

Would it not have made more sense to ring the Gardaí on their normal telephone number and have let the Emergency Services deal with real emergencies?

If you think I am being harsh, just think your call could have delayed bona fide emergency response elsewhere.

No offence meant.

I am quiet aware of wasting Emergency Services time with one parent being in the emergency service and another being a nurse. The crime had just happened and those who committed the crime would still be in the area. The neighbour who called into me had chased them away.

The call was to inform the Gardai as per the info here (offender still at the scene or has just left) and to make them aware that these people are in the area and will more than likely try another car because they couldnt get mine started. In hindsight I should have contacted my local station and they would have put the call out and drove around the area.

 

[Marion]

I also disagree with the general statement that the Gardai don’t give a damn

A vehicle damaged my car and left the scene. I followed it and … long story. I then had no choice but to report the damage to the police. I was really upset: the guard on duty was really nice. He brought me into a private office. He rang me numerous times. He followed up the owner despite the reluctance of the latter to answer his calls and he kept me updated.

I was really pleased with the level of support and the successful outcome (that was also helped by the great support and follow up by my insurance company - no affiliation). I did not know the guard in question nor did I have any dealings with the station.

I could just as easily make a general statement, based on my experience, that guards are brilliant at their job.

Marion

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

 

[Mpsox]

For the most part I can't fault the Gardai in any dealing's I've had with them. However, they are like any other company/profession, there are good ones and not so good ones and it sounds from the OP's post that he has had an experience with the latter. In fairness, it may be down to resourcing and other priorities, it may be down to poor leadership in the area or it maybe that one or 2 local Garda actually "don't give a damm".

As other posters have suggested, you should escalate the issue to the local Super. However bear in mind that the issue also may not be with the Gardai, it could be a case that even if they believe they "know" who did the crime, they cannot prove it simply due to lack of physical evidence or witnesses. The DPP will not prosecute unless they are satisfied that there is evidence for conviction. There are plenty of convictions for criminal damage weekly, read the court pages in your local paper for examples, but the courts will not convict just because you believe you know who did the crime

 

[Leper]

If there is one organisation in which I have confidence, it is the Garda Force. If we cannot legitimately hold this confidence we might as well be living in Bolivia or Costa Rica.

But, let's be fair, the country is overrun with dangerous illegal drugs, organised crime, armed robbers, drunken and crazy drivers, crooked politicians etc. Simply, the Gardaí dont have time for every tittle-tattle. There is something called Insurance and common sense, use them and claim enough.

 

[lightswitch]

If there is one organisation in which I have confidence, it is the Garda Force. If we cannot legitimately hold this confidence we might as well be living in Bolivia or Costa Rica.

But, let's be fair, the country is overrun with dangerous illegal drugs, organised crime, armed robbers, drunken and crazy drivers, crooked politicians etc. Simply, the Gardaí dont have time for every tittle-tattle. There is something called Insurance and common sense, use them and claim enough.

+ 1, and the people who broke into your car also may have worn gloves or rolled down their sleeves. The Gardai simply dont have the resourses to look into such crimes, even if they did there are no prison places.

Talk to the politicans about it when they start knocking on your door, shouldn't be too long now.

Sorry for your problem by the way, break ins are rampant at the moment and will probably get worse coming up to Christmas. Lock up well.