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Garda Numbers

category national | miscellaneous | news report author Saturday May 11, 2002 21:57author by Stephen Rigney

Once again on Thursday night, the Inspector that was at the march on Monday and on Thursday was without identification numbers. The man refused to give his numbers, name or rank on Monday night (I asked him twice for them) and as was pointed out on last night's Late Late Show, another person asked the same Inspector 4 times for his name, number, rank and his officers names and numbers and was refused. Is there some rule which exempts senior officers from wearing their numbers?

Comments (8 of 8)

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garda numbers
author by paul byrnepublication date Sat May 11, 2002 22:55author address author phone

garda shoulder numbers are for adminstration purposes, only guards in Dublin and Cork wear them and ranks above inspector wear a name badge

No ID
author by Stephen Rigneypublication date Sun May 12, 2002 01:00author address author phone

This particular Inspector wore no indentification of any kind. On Monday he was wearing an overcoat and on Thursday I didn't see any ID on his uniform.

yup
author by The Real Frederic Jamesonpublication date Sun May 12, 2002 02:07author address author phone

I was right in front of the inspector fella when he was telling us all to move along on Monday - I can concur that he was wearing no identification of any kind.

For gods sake...
author by the voice of reasonpublication date Sun May 12, 2002 18:19author address author phone

They did nothing on thursday to require report so you need no numbers.

We also know that they had removed their numbers on monday.

So what is the point in tis conversation?

The point is...
author by Clairepublication date Sun May 12, 2002 21:42author email clairebuk at oxygen dot ieauthor address author phone

The point is that some of the Gardai on Monday were caught on camera, shamelessly beating seven shades of shite out of innocent people, with no identification. This was a major problem, and point of discussion and debate, as those Gardai involved in the violence could not be identified.

Then, at the demonstration against police brutality on Thursday, there were Gardai there and, lo and behold, they were not wearing numbers or ID. They should have been wearing their ID, regardless of whether there was trouble or not. It just further proves the point that some Gardai will go unpunished because they cannot be identified.

no number, no responsibility
author by liam jpublication date Mon May 13, 2002 01:31author address Melb. Australiaauthor phone

as in Dublin as in Melbourne and countless other places, if baton weilding cops are not individually accountable for their actions (which they aren't if they're indistinguishable) they go well over the top.
Here in Victoria Aus. the police ombudsman has admitted that there are police he would prosecute if he but knew who they were.

its been seen so often its a cliche, and there's a good cliche remedy - 'no power without responsibility'. so obvious it might even be democratic.. so theres no chance of seeing it anytime soon.
i was as surprised at the New World Order as many of you are now.

they have to wear numbers
author by ciarapublication date Mon May 13, 2002 10:29author address author phone

I asked the garda press officer about this and he said that it is mandatory that the guards wear their numbers at all times with no exceptions.
Not sure about inspectors but I would be inclined to think the same rule will apply

They dont have to do anything they don't wnt to
author by sxeanpublication date Mon May 20, 2002 21:57author address author phone

they are the law

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/4527

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