My 14 year old was breathalysed what can I do

Hissing Sideban

My 14 year old was breathalysed

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I brought my fourteen year old daughter to the shop and had to park around the corner while I was waiting for her. When she was leaving, she started talking to some of her friends who were hanging around outside.
Two gardai stopped and told them to move on. Two of her friends asked her if they could get a lift home and she told to wait till she'd asked me.
When she went back to get them, them one of the Gardai brought her aside and asked if she had bee drinking. She said no, however he proceeded in breathalysing her in the street and argueing over green crystals in the bag.
When she told him I was waiting for her, the other gardai (a female gardai)told him to leave her only and that everything was fine.
I rang the gardai station the following day and asked why this had happened,
I was informed that they had no record of it happening, they were supposed to have electronic breathalyser and that it was probably a new young over excited gardai who found a few old breathalsyer left in the car and decided to use them. When I asked for the names of the Gardai the duty sergeant told me they was a mix up with the roster and he could not give me the names. What should I do
And no my daughter had not been drinking
All advise welcome

stepbar

Hissing Sideban wrote:

When I asked for the names of the Gardai the duty sergeant told me they was a mix up with the roster and he could not give me the names.

Well I dont believe that one for a start. What a convenient excuse. I'd go back to the Garda station and wait until you get an answer. Bring your daughter.

Overheal

And they wonder why they get so much public flak ... d*ch b*gs ...

Given the 'anti-social' view of youths these days I doubt theres much that could be done to stop them asking to breathalise minors.

I agree with Stepbar; but it might be prudent to pre-identify the two Gardai in question with your daughter's aide. Getting confrontational with them without evidence seems to never go well at all. In fact, they just don't like confrontation -Rant alert aww crap-

They think the streets they patrol on, once every third blue moon, turn Gold at the click of their heels. So forgive the rest of us lowly mortal coils for asking them to uphold their oath to be around when it matters. F*it, I'll swear blind right now that it's just been too damn easy to get away with stuff for me. But I know that in between the lines that also means if something honestly illegitimate does happen to occur, I can't count on them for Jack. Look at the papers: entire neighbourhoods are being abandoned by the Gardai and its likely because they are too damn afraid to get in there and get their hands wet. Those neighbourhoods have to start organising their own security forces and HELLO we have Los Angeles!

The Gardai are funny that way because when they DO show up, its when everythings lovey-dovey and oh god - a group of teenagers hanging out in a public area: shouldn't they be off playing that video game I let them get away with stealing? Wait - they might be dangerous....not its okay, this batch looks safe enough for me to approach with my Air of Authority to inflate my Hot-Ego-Balloon.

Conclusion: Gardai *tend* to be just another average citizen; we keep ourselves safe when we can and if we have to pick our battles we try to pick the ones theres a chance of winning by ourselves. But anybody can do that: What the Gards don't seem to recognise is that they are a large "organised" force. If they see something they can't tackle they can call for backup. If they have to get their hands wet and something god-forbid should go wrong, they should be able to rely on the rest of the force to be behind them 110%.

-rant subsiding-

........like I was saying, don't go for the confrontation approach
Indeed, it probably was just some greenhorn looking for a little excitement.

Whats this about crystals, pray-tell?

Turner

OP this sounds like a very strange situation.

Did the Gardai demand that your daughter be breathalised or did she or friends of hers say "breathalyse us if you think we were drinking" and it was done in a friendly "lets give the kids a go at blowing in the bag".

I know the gardai have been present breathalising people entering teenage disco's in an effort to cut out sexual attacks and the likes but breathalising kids hanging around the street shouldnt really happen.

The gardai have no legal basis on which to do it unless the person consented to it. If the minor failed the breath test they would have to be arrested for being under the influence of alcohol while a minor and brought to a station for their parents to collect them.

Skip the duty Sergeant and go straight to the Superintendent to find out what really happened.

Gran Hermano

Can a 14 year old provide consent to be breathalysed?

As a minor do the parents not need to be present for
any questioning or breathalysing?

UrbanFox

Are you sure that they were actually Gardai ?

A uniform does not mean that much these days especially in the dark ! A shoulder badge number is usually helpful.

Overheal

Is there a prescribed point/time when you can ask for a badge number? Eg. "Blow into this" -> "What's your badge number?"

Turner

There is no such thing as a badge number. There is however a district number which is displayed on their shoulder.

They can be identified by this.

gonk

Chief--- wrote:

There is no such thing as a badge number. There is however a district number which is displayed on their shoulder.

They can be identified by this.

Unless they've removed them specifically to avoid being identified, like the guards who beat the lard out of participants at the Dublin Mayday demonstration a couple of years ago.

Trojan911

Hissing Sideban wrote:

All advise welcome

My opinion is: If this really happened then try going back to the area and looking for CCTV coverage in the area this allegedly happened. Were your daughters friends present when this allegedly happened, did they see anything, can they help with identification?

The station will have a record of who was on duty, so the officers can be traced. Go with "The Chief" entry and go straight to the Superintendent and run it by a solicitor.

Badge numbers are called registration numbers, and if your daughter was sharp enough to spot a shoulder number get that.

TJ911...

TheNog

I am fairly sure that because your daughter is under 18 then a parent/guardian should be present at any breathlyiser. Definitely write to the local Superintendent explaining the incident and asking for a reason. Do it sooner than later.

CLADA

Am I missing something here?

Fourteen or not, there is no legal requirement on any person to submit to a breath test unless they are driving or in charge of a vehicle.

padser

Overheal wrote:

And they wonder why they get so much public flak ... d?

Exactly.

Also I have yet to see a Garda on the street be any use whatsoever.