Don’t antagonise the guards by calling them pigs,…

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis

Thursday October 02, 2003 17:01

by Lola

Point out to them their acts of hypocrisy and put them in their place.

Don’t antagonise the guards by calling them pigs,…
Point out to them their acts of hypocrisy and put them in their place.

While walking home last night, Wednesday 1st October, approx 8 pm, as I turned off Liffey street onto Abbey street, heading towards O’Connell street, I noticed a young guard taking a can off 3 young lads sitting on steps in front of the Epicurean food hall.
I’m quite partial to the odd can of Dutch gold so I empathised with the poor scoundrels as the guard poured the contents of the can into a drain, crushed it in his left hand and continued on his ‘Beat’.
As I passed the three sour faced underage drinkers and crossed the street I saw the guard look around and put the can on a step and walk on.
I decided at this point to follow the guard, although not entirely certain of what I was going to do but ushered on by his complete disregard for littering laws.
As he turned from O’Connell street onto Henry street I decided to take action and stepped up to him explaining that I wanted to ask him a few question for a sociology project I was doing on the current state of the police force.
First I told him that I’d witnessed him remove the can from the 3 young lads and I asked him why he did that. He explained that it was against the law to drink on the street, I pressed on asking what that Law was and he commented that it was a By Law.
Satisfied with that response I continued and asked him why he put the can down 30 foot on from where the young lads were still sitting when there was another law in place to prevent littering, He mumbled something in agreement as his earlier stance of authority quickly morphed into one of embarrassed guilt, any righteousness remaining draining from his shuffling feet.
“I’m not sure”, he responded guiltily after I queried the name of the littering law in place that ought to have prevented him from leaving the can on the street.
I then asked him for his badge number [215], thanked him and continued home.
It seemed this fresh-faced figure of authority had no interest in abiding or even knowing the same laws he was so quick to enforce.
This is not an attempt to slander the Gardai Siochana. This is a call to arms for us all to become ‘Keepers of the peace’.
Lets not see the Police as the enemy but rather a tool to protect us in times of need (i.e. intervening in domestic violence situations when authorised, picking up drunken bodies off the street, comforting victims of theft or rape), and this tool like all will occasionally need to be repaired or revised.

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Comments (13 of 13)

Look at the bigger picture please.....

by Sergeant M - An Garda Siochana

Sun Oct 26, 2003 00:53

jumpy at eircom dot net

Does anyone remember that short story by O'Faolain with the two endings....young man/bycycle/dead Chicken and all that.......?
In this case I accept that the man who started this thread had a right to question garda 215, in fact his actions were deplorable. He should really have looked around before he put the can down to make sure noone was looking!

The real issue here is that the are NOT enough litter bins in Dublin and indeed in all our cities and towns. Those that are there are often full to the brim while the people who should be emptying them are down at liberty hall having another meeting about another William Martin Murphy trying to get them to do their jobs!

More bins I say, and empty the ones that are there more often I say....

In relation to Garda 215, you have done him a great favour....now he will look around carefully before breaking the law. He should of course watch carefully for the closed circuit tv camera all over the city, because one of his colleges could see him on camera and give him a ticket later int he locker room.

nite all,
Sgt M

i think we don't spend enough time pointing out the failure of European Policing methods.

by -

Tue Oct 14, 2003 13:19

I'd love to see a section to "protect" our Gardaí from developments that have fueled by security multi-national-corporations and rightwing regimes have given modern Europeans paramilitary police forces.
Like the one photographed above.
I think the Irish of all people would naturally want to avoid that.

Well

by Itchie Feet

Mon Oct 13, 2003 19:50

That last comment makes no sense.

Anyway, guys listen, there is one thing you guys, all you guys, are forgetting. Gardai are just people doing a job. They are not infalible enforcers of the law. They make mistakes as we all do in or respective jobs. Can you honestly say that you could do a better job. If so sign up. If you're so unhappy with them, try it yourself. That way they can bitch about your every mistake on this site.

I know there are bad gardai. I know first hand, but even I won't tar them all with the same brush.

With respect to Lola. Good on ya for pointing out this particular gardas mistake and lets hope he doesn't make it again. As for all the anti-gardai posts, guys if you don't like the existing law enforcement then maybe it's time you showed us all how it's done. yeah?

initial reports out

by one whose life was saved by an Italian. - grazie.

Mon Oct 06, 2003 23:33

italy. look link. dy boom boom bamb. pacifism fails? tolerance is it really worth the effort?

I want mulatto FARC guerilla & sack of charlie for Xmas

by Guess again

Sun Oct 05, 2003 23:06

Pigs like any person in a positions of authority and power like to hide behind their status/uniform to commit crimes. Many perpetrators of crime are pigs/policemen, who protect themselves and rich people and their possessions. Eg RUC man John Torney who murdered his whole family. Or recently your gardai corruption scandal where gardai pigs beat their wives, who subsequently told all about their husbands planting explosives to later dig up and claim the glory/promotion for finding.

Many pigs are in league with millionaire criminals, letting their favourite big time smack pusher criminal friends off, whilst targetting small time petty pushers.

In Northern Ireland our pigs like to collude and direct right wing paramilitary junta militias to murder those they consider a threat or troublemakers such as human rights solicitor Rosemary Nelson, Pat Finucane and journalist Marty O Hagan.

Do they protect battered wives, only if the said battered wife is rich/middle class or agrees to tout for them.

And on and on

by By Indymedia is a D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T-I-C media outlet

Sun Oct 05, 2003 19:51

This thread goes on because the type of direct action that guarantees a result is something that needs to be brought to question. Surely gathering public support is something necessary to all movements and therefore insular groupings that pride themselves in being on the outside is pointless.

On and on and on and on

by still going on? - repetition.

Fri Oct 03, 2003 16:51

and on this thread goes, why?
There is a major struggle going on in this city, centring on widespread direct action. Some people on this thread are presumably involved in that.

This whole incident is trivial by comparison.

ITs hard to respect a power krazed baton wearing idioteque,

by g2 - the depot

Fri Oct 03, 2003 09:58

fresh out of "no newspapers allowed" brainwashing camp temple big.

all cops are bastards

by sod the platform

Thu Oct 02, 2003 23:20

Respect cops, know they are all power freaking, bent, twisted, potentialy violent arsreholes, give them the respect they are due, and watch your back.

Never turn your back on a garda!!!

by Drbinoche

Thu Oct 02, 2003 22:45

I have to say the Garda really should have had a bit of common sense and maybe just maybe looked for a bin to put it in. I am sure there is one within a short distance.

Hey at least hes trying to stop the bastards drinking on the streets. I am sorry but I hate the image of people drinking out on the streets. It looks very negative and if the people were underage, well he stopped the kids from drinking which I doubt anyone can argue is a good thing. It may not have stopped the kids long, but it was at least some form of a step.

And in fairness if people want to get respect of police officers it is always helpful if they show some respect first. Respect begets pespect!

Holland...

by jeff

Thu Oct 02, 2003 19:09

...should colonise Ireland, so y'know, all would be good friends with the Guard, y'know, have smoke wit him, tour the red light district togeter, an'ef yew hadda remind the guy "Buddy, your littering, hoi?!?", he would go, Yah, Am surry, you know, you are a cool guy to remind me. Anywasy, see yewe at der Cannabis cup, ja?

litterers

by steph

Thu Oct 02, 2003 17:52

we dont have a good history or tradition of taking responsibility for our own waste let alone somebody elses. The guard may have foreseen the compound effect of the young lads drinking (vomiting on the street, fighting etc.) but as he is clearly a responsible adult to have that foresight and to remove the catalyst for the fighting, vomiting etc. his inaction on the issue of littering may represent an indication of the wider attitudes towards responsible waste management. In fact you could say that guarda 215 is a microcosm reflecting the current attitude that we are seeing regarding the bin-charges. :)

Garda 215 of Store Street!

by lolly pop

Thu Oct 02, 2003 17:25

You have received a verbal warning.

Watch it, if we catch you littering or breaking by-laws in or out of uniform ever again, there will be letters written to the Sunday Papers.

(and walking on the grass is included).

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Don’t antagonise the guards by calling them pigs,…

Comments (13 of 13)