Drinking Culture - Templemore

punchestown

Folks,

Do you think that the culture of drinking that exists in Templemore where student Gardai are concerned should be acted upon? Should there be a zero tolerance attitude toward alcohol and any student caught under the influence should have their contract terminated from that point fortwith? I am not infering that every student Garda is a pisshead spending their evenings in the pubs and coming back to the college inebriated but to my mind too many students are losing their budding career in AGS through the misuse of alcohol.

Word reaches me that the most recent student to be sent packing from Templemore was a young man using the fountain in the grounds of the college as a urinal. This behaviour was completely at the behest of alcohol. Through the phases over the last few years, I have encountered students being ejected for assaulting fellow students and staff (alcohol related) drinking after hours down the town, drinking in a fellow students room after hours, drink driving through the town after hours and other obvious drink fuelled antics.

I am aware that alcohol is part of the social fabric of college life but surely a college educating the future police officers of our society should operate on different terms somewhat. Is it now time for college authorities to enforce a prohibition of sorts in order that students can focus on what the college is there for; training each member for a career in one of the toughest jobs out there or is the temptations of alcohol a ways to a means of establishing the wheat from the chaff in terms of the ability to holds one drink?

TheNog

I voted for no its the fabric of the college life but only cos it closely matches my real opinion in that it is better for the Force if those people who cannot handle alcohol are weeded out during training as opposed to after college when it can be harder to dismiss them. I realise people make mistakes and God only knows I made a couple when I was there with alcohol on board but hey I was caught once or twice, learned from my mistakes and moved on.

I understand where you are coming from (and am starting to wonder if you work in the college) but to see people with drink taken can demonstrate how those people are when they are drunk. A simple ban on alcohol will not do any good cos these people will continue drinking after they finished college and are fully attested. So the question is "Would you prefer to dismiss a student for unbecoming behaviour at the college or dismiss a Garda for drink driving possibly in the face of the media?"

Thats my two cents. It is a very good question/thread though.

TheNog

shakin

no alcohol!:eek:

jesus whats that like?no feckin way should it be banned anyone that cant drink without getting pissed and losing the run of themselves and attacking staff and students probably shouldnt be a garda.

anyway i would have thought drinking in excess would be frowned upon and closely observed down there?

Geri Boyle

I don't think they could possibly do that. I presume the curfew sorts out most of the problems, as in you can't stay out all night and go to class the next morning p*ssed as a fart! But the students down there are grown men and women! Adults, who in a year or 2 years time will be expected to be responsible enough to be a member of An Garda Siochána. You can't treat a person like a child and expect them to grow up and be responsible all of a sudden.
And good enough that they can weed out people who (under any sort of influence) think it's ok to commit assault/ drink driving/ defacing property.
These are all against the law. Who wants a member who thinks it's ok to break the law after a few drinks?!

jt123456

Alcohol is a normal part of socialising in this country and you cant just impose a ban for all trainee's. They should be free to part-take in anything they want during their time off on evenings and weekends. However they still have the responsibility to prove themselves to be mature individuals. I believe the ones who make an "arse" of themselves after a few pints obviously dont know how to handle drink and should then be turfed out straight away.

super_shellers

I don't think it should be banned completely, I enjoy having a pint or two during the week, be it in Polly's or in the rec, but I dont so much as to get completely hammered and do stupid things like urinating in a fountain.

That said, there are the few who take it too far. Since starting here I've seen a few people go out one night and be very hungover the following day. It has to be the worst place to ever have a hangover, especially if you have parade or drill first thing in the morning! I've heard stories of the things people get up to when drunk, and some of them aren't nice.

However, it is nice to have the option of getting out and having a drink or two to unwind after a hard week of studying.

eroo

Social drinking is fine, it is a college after all. However, I was once told by someone who used to be part of the College Staff that the biggest problem they have with students is alcohol. He said that when he was there, the main reason for students to be dropped was due alcohol and getting pissed.

Having a few drinks is fine, go dancing, relaxing with friends.. whatever. But if you are going out getting wrecked as a fruitbat every night out, you're an idiot. But, banning it would be unfair to those who enjoy a few drinks. After all, it's a great way to break the ice and get to know people.

Also, as TheNog pointed out, it weeds out the idiots.

lightyear

Whats this about someone getting caught pissing in the fountain?
When did that happen?

cookie81

Ye may need to get yer stories 100% accurate before believing them.

lightyear

G'waaaaan cookie and tell the story
Sure this place is the model for all rumour mills. Ye can believe nothing ye hear really.

punchestown

cookie81 wrote: »

Ye may need to get yer stories 100% accurate before believing them.

All of the above are 100% cookie and they are just the ones that were acted on. You wouldnt want to hear the horror ones.

TheNog

Tbh the college is full of gossip and rumours it would be sometimes hard to believe the truth. Alcohol plays a big part of most of the trouble in The Farm but if the staff policed the college better at night they wouldn't have half the problems they do now or at least used to have. Having the college grounds patrolled by Phase 3 students is a bit of joke tbh especially when there is a big night like a function or students getting their results etc.

gerire

TheNog wrote: »

Tbh the college is full of gossip and rumours it would be sometimes hard to believe the truth. Alcohol plays a big part of most of the trouble in The Farm but if the staff policed the college better at night they wouldn't have half the problems they do now or at least used to have. Having the college grounds patrolled by Phase 3 students is a bit of joke tbh especially when there is a big night like a function or students getting their results etc.

After week 3 or 4 it should not require policing; fine first few weeks getting used to the environment etc it is inevitable some people will lose the run of themselves; However looking at the greater picture the role they have signed up is one of upholding the peace; So when they are on their nights out they should behaving appropriately to this role;

You can see it when you hear gardaí, who see what goes on a night in the college who are near the end of their service and have a huge pride in their uniforms and the roles they have carried out for years, and the absolute disgust that some people who are studying in the college will be out in public at any stage in a uniform, the sound of that blood boiling is not pretty!

TheNog

gerire wrote: »

After week 3 or 4 it should not require policing; fine first few weeks getting used to the environment etc it is inevitable some people will lose the run of themselves; However looking at the greater picture the role they have signed up is one of upholding the peace; So when they are on their nights out they should behaving appropriately to this role;

I agree with you but the inevitable is always gonna happen. People will take the piss no matter what or who they are. Unfortunately people have taken the piss and lost their careers because of it. Who's fault is it? Its their own fault but if the college staff keep complaining about the amount if incidents/investigations they have to deal with becasue of drink, then why don;t they do something about it?
I don't mean ban alcohol because that would be impossible. They have already banned alcohol in the Rec when I was there. Not that it mattered much to me, I hated the Rec.

gerire wrote: »

You can see it when you hear gardaí, who see what goes on a night in the college who are near the end of their service and have a huge pride in their uniforms and the roles they have carried out for years, and the absolute disgust that some people who are studying in the college will be out in public at any stage in a uniform, the sound of that blood boiling is not pretty!

yes but again why don't they do something about it. I know, I have seen people coming back from the town pubs absolutely pissed outta their heads and acting pure stupid. I have tried to sleep in one of the buildings with fellas running up and down the corridors (naked at that) screaming. I have had my fair share of drink there but being a bit more mature I didn't lose total control of myself.

punchestown

TheNog wrote: »

I have tried to sleep in one of the buildings with fellas running up and down the corridors (naked at that) screaming. I have had my fair share of drink there but being a bit more mature I didn't lose total control of myself.

I had the pleasure of having the music man across the corridor from me! Every evening hed be out for a few beers (literally every evening) on his return the music would be blared till the early hours of the morning. I wouldnt have minded so much but his taste in music was toxic. Even Scooter ffs!

TheNog

The fella (good friend) next to me sang "only a Woman" every morning. I and the other lads went bleedin ballistic with him till someone said "seeing we on the topic, who the hell owns the alarm clock that goes off for an hour every morning???'. Turns out it was my clock and it used to wake lads in the 2 rooms on either side of me. Couldn't believe it cos the clock about the size of a squash ball!!!!

funny days all the same

bryanmurr

Well when i was there a phrase was commonly used "Your given enough rope to hang yourself" which doesnt require too much explanation.

gerire

That rope is still here; Some seem to strive to get their hands on it

TheNog

ah god yeah the rope. a few nearly got their hands on it alright

Dolph Starbeam

What? Ban drinking:eek: Never! As said if your going to be making a tit yourself and going in hungover and stinking of beer then it probably is the wrong timing for you to join the guards. I like a lot of others would still like to be aloud the odd drink, nothing mental.

old boy

all of the peeps i know are heavy drinkers, and back horses, part of the training i suppose

eroo

old boy wrote: »

all of the peeps i know are heavy drinkers, and back horses, part of the training i suppose

I'm lost!

old boy

gaurds, gardai, cops, pigs, mules, whatever you want to call them, B.T.W. a family member is one.

TOPDAWG

I think its bit ridiculous the state some lads get into down there. In my opinion the big problem is its called a "College," this automatically gives people the impression that its like a UCC, a UCD or a normal college like that where you can go out on thurs get bladdered and decide yourself on friday whether you wanna go in or not.

Change the name to Garda Barracks or Garda Training Facility and it could have a big effect on the drink culture down there.

eroo

By the way, for those who chose ''alcohol sorts the men from the boys & if you cant handle the beer you cant handle the career'', that is quite possibly one of most ridiculous things I have ever heard. There are people who don't drink who are probably better than some of those who do. We're not living in the 60's or 70's where you could get langered and then jump in the car, go home and turn up for work the next morning. Times have moved on. :mad:

Col_Loki

There are people who don't drink who are probably better than some of those who do.

Well that’s their choice not to drink. I think if the recruits are going to be the people we rely on in the future, they should be responsible enough to handle their drink. If that means keeping off it all together or just having one or two and going home then that’s fair enough, but at the end of the day were not dealing with Kids, the decision should be left in their hands..... compared to some of the decisions they will have to make, this one is rather small scale in my opinion.

audidiesel

i dont think they should ban alcohol down there at all. having spent long enough in the place, a few social pints helped get me through the time there. that said i didnt go nuts. in my experience there is still a major drinking culture within the job. so if someone gets through the farm without incident it may prepare them more for attestation and beyond. Removing alcohol from the college will allow a fair amount of idiots to slip through the net and then drag the whole lot of us down by doing something stupid. thats just my two cents

CDfm

We trust these guys to run our streets - least way we should be able to establish they have no substance abuse problems.

So why not -maybe it could be extended to other campuses - I would close all college bars -straight away- there is no place for them. You dont have bars at work so why at college.