Garda standards in free fall

No - it's obviously still open for posts that adhere to the posting guidelines as usual.
 
I see where the original poster is coming from with this - it doesnt look very professional to be slouching along with your hands in your pockets.
Having said that, if you are on an 8 hour beat, it would be hard to maintain professional standards all the time.

My dad is very much old-school and this would drive him mad - I still remember him watching the EuroVision the year Pat Kenny was presenting, and giving out yards about the fact that Pat had his hands in his pockets while on stage!
 
If our police want to be respected by members of the public they should present themselves in a professional manner. That includes how they act in public and how they talk to the public. My own experience of the Gardaí has been very limited but what little contact I have had has left me with the impression that with a few notable exceptions they are boorish and lazy, often incompetent and have little respect for their position.
 
I agree with Purple - i was burgaled about 8 years ago - went to the station to report it and they never even came to my house. Total apathy in my opinion. Sisters car was broken into and she was told in the station "theres not much we can do".
Was there not a report last year stating the problems from top to bottom within the force.
 
Maybe I've been lucky but any time that I've had cause to call the Gardaí (usually on the local station number and not 999 and mostly for relatively minor anti-social behaviour issues rather than major incidents) they have always responded.
 
I have had a Gardaí ID shown to me by a car load of late teen/ early 20's lads who were speeding and weaving through traffic on the M50. They nearly caused a crash and when I pulled level with them on the Naas road exit and looked over to see who was driving the driver put down his window, stuck our his ID and said "Mind your own <expletive deleted> business". There were three others in the car, all wearing light blue shirts, and they all found the whole thing very funny. I'm sure the driver that fish-tailed onto the hard shoulder when they cut in in front of him didn't see the funny side of it.
Other than that it's just been lazy and apathetic.
The best one I saw was after a fire burned out about a dozen cars in the car park at the back of Jury's Inn at Christchurch and the Gardaí had failed to turn up (Kevin Street station is a two to three minute walk away, but there was a Soccer international on at the time). They had been called by at least 4 of the residents of the apartments that side onto the hotel. The fire service had arrived and put out the fire all the time being stoned by a group of kids who lit the ire in the first place. When the Gardaí did arrive one of the firemen had to be pulled off the sergeant in charge. He didn't see it coming or else he would have taken his hands out of his pockets .
 
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jaysus thats a great story. When did it happen ? How long ago ?
 

I presume you reported this. Late teen lads flashing a Garda ID sounds very dodgy to me. Light blue shirts don't mean they were Gardai.


2 to 3 minutes walking from Kevin St Garda Station to the back of Jurys Inn is good going. Again you clearly were able to identify the kids that lit the fire. I presume you told the Gardai at the scene. When was this fire that burned out a dozen cars?

I have no connection with the Gardai and accept that bad apples exist but unless contributors to this thread can vouch that they assisted them when they could there's little point in posting such criticism.
 
I have no doubt that there are some really poor, lazy incompetent people amongst the ranks of Gardai like in every company and the people involved in situations like Purple describe above have no place in the organisation. However, I have to say that no matter how much incidents like that and the things like corruption in Donegal damage the reputation of the Gardai, it is important to remember the other side. People such as Tony Tighe, Michael Padden, Jerry McCabe and all the others who have died while doing their job. I don't think it is fair to allow a few bad eggs damage the reputation of the whole organisation.
 
You may be right that you dont think its "fair" but thats the way it is. How many people actually have real respect for the police force today? I was brought up to respect them as my parents were too. But as an adult and having had to deal with them on a few occasions (traffic/break ins) i have nothing but comtempt for them. In my experience they have proven to me in every single instance that they are not there to help me. Every single time that i went looking to them for help they didnt want to know. I'm just sick of their attitude.
Rant over.
 
Crunchie said:
I presume you reported this. Late teen lads flashing a Garda ID sounds very dodgy to me. Light blue shirts don't mean they were Gardai.
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Yes, they were Gardai. The guy with the badge was clearly wearing the uniform. I said that they looked late teen early 20’s. Yes, I did report it. I talked to a retired sergeant that I know about a month after the incident. I had the time, location, car make and a partial reg. It was last year and I have heard nothing back.

Okay, a 5 minute walk around the back of Dublin Castle. I talked to two detectives who came to the apartment block that I lived in the next day. Considering I had called Kevin street 4 times to try to get the Gardai to come to the scene I didn’t feel the urge to talk to them when they did arrive. The fire took place in 1995/1996. It was started when kids set fire to the bin house at the back of Christchurch View apartments.

Crunchie said:
I have no connection with the Gardai and accept that bad apples exist but unless contributors to this thread can vouch that they assisted them when they could there's little point in posting such criticism.
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I see no logic to this point. How could I have assisted them in either of these situations? How could anyone have assisted the Gardai who behave in a slovenly and unprofessional way in the normal course of their duties? How can anyone assist them when they come to the public counter/desk in their stations and, without looking up, greet the member of the public who needs their assistance with “Yea?”

I forgot to mention my other experience of our police force; one Tuesday night I woke up to hear people downstairs in my house. I phoned 999 and told them what was going on. Two and a half hours later a police car arrived. No apologies, no explanation, just three fat slobs who stood in my hallway with their hands in their pockets. Would you like the date, the name of the Garda in charge and my home address or do you believe me?

I live in middle class suburbia and have never been in trouble with the police and yet in common with many of my neighbours and friends I have a very low opinion of them. Given that then what chance is there of people in high crime areas having any respect for or faith in them?
 
most of them just treat people like dirt, the less work for them to do the better, i hate calling to a station to even get a passport form signed, they treat you like something on the end of their shoe, its like you have interupted them from a sleep in the back office when they come out. it doesnt really give a good impression of the force when this is what you have to put up with, its not retraining they need, its just common courtsey and manners, maybe a customer service couse, the rest of the civil service has spent millons on customer service, i dont think it has been given to the guards
 
I think that is a common view.
 
About 20 years ago the young garda fresh in his new uniform and posted back to his home town decided that he'd show who's boss now. He knew the local pub opened on Xmas day for a couple of hours and decided he'd raid it. All his friends, relations, neighbours etc. Needless to say he was relocated to Siberia and nobody talked to him for years after that. They still talk about it.

I think the gardas have a hard job to do that I certainly wouldn't like to do it. OP's story personally I don't see anything wrong with it. They are people too. But there are always bad apples in every profession as evidenced by Purple's - shocking - story.

Another true story is a relation had a pub business and the new cop in town decided at 11 on the dot EVERY night he'd visit said premises to make sure that everyone left at 11.01. He did this for a year, you can imagine the result on said pub's business as all the other pubs could carry on serving.
 
Don't even bother trying to report a stolen bicycle to the Guards, you'll get laughed out of the station like I did. My dealings with the local Sergeant went something like this . . .

Me - "Hello, I'd like to report a stolen bicycle"
Garda - with a disbelieving look, "Where was it stolen?"
Me - "Bike stall at the train station"
Garda - "Did you not lock it?"
Me - producing the now severed coil lock "Yes"
Garda - "You should know better than to leave a bike unattended there"
Me - with puzzlement "Why, is there not CCTV all over the train station?"
Garda - "Ah sure, half the time those cameras aren't even switched on. Don't worry though, we'll look into it for you. Give me your contact details and we'll be in touch"
Me - "Umm, don't you want the frame serial number on the bike for investigation purposes?"
Garda - "You what now?"

Needless to say, my bike was never found
 

These are shaggy dog stories.

1) Garda policy is specifically NOT to post young Gardai back to their home turf for obvious reasons.
2) Pubs have legal drinking up time just after closing.
3) Harassment of a specific pub as suggested would be easily resolved through informal or formal complaint.
 
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