An Garda Síochána - COVID19

elperello

https://www.thejournal.ie/garda-elections-gra-sham-5312495-Dec2020/

Looks like the GRA is not a happy ship.

Some interesting info. from the horses mouth which might provide background to some of the points raised here.

Cluedo Monopoly

Aurelian wrote: »

I wonder if they will hold off on checkpoints until after the 31st?

I am hearing there are budget constraints in the Gardai so you wont see so many checkpoints until the new year. I haven't seen any recently.

theballz

Seen a Garda earlier today ordering a take away coffee in a cafe - he was the only one not wearing a mask and didn’t look to bothered by it.

Says it all.

Jim Gazebo

Ffs. Micheal martin said last March there was no scientific basis for a 5km travel restriction. And yet here for the 2nd time he also implements it.

Discodog

Jim Gazebo wrote: »

Ffs. Micheal martin said last March there was no scientific basis for a 5km travel restriction. And yet here for the 2nd time he also implements it.

So checkpoints will be back.

Edit: Commencing today, gardaí will be carrying out “intensive mobile high visibility checkpoints” in local areas.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-to-carry-out-intensive-checkpoints-in-local-areas-as-level-5-restrictions-implemented-39918278.html

SouthWesterly

Discodog wrote: »

So checkpoints will be back.

Edit: Commencing today, gardaí will be carrying out “intensive mobile high visibility checkpoints” in local areas.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-to-carry-out-intensive-checkpoints-in-local-areas-as-level-5-restrictions-implemented-39918278.html

Have they any powers to turn you back

zell12

750 gardai, or 5% of the force are on leave due to Covid19. 250 in Dublin alone.
75 have the virus and 675 are self-isolating
- news report 09/01/2021

zell12

Oh noes, not the garda band!

prunudo

Don't want to debate the morality of it but have a question from a legal stand point.
Did a bit of searching but nothing came up, some references to news articles around October about it coming in soon but nothing more than that.
Does the 5km restriction have any legality to it? Did it ever become law or like many covid guidelines does it fall under the health act so a garda can only instruct or advise you to go home?

zell12

prunudo wrote: »

Does the 5km restriction have any legality to it? Did it ever become law or like many covid guidelines does it fall under the health act so a garda can only instruct or advise you to go home?

It is law
you can be summoned to court if you don't have an essential reason/reasonable excuse to be more than 5km from home.
and you can get an FCN of €100 for travelling without a reasonable excuse
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/covid19/public_health_measures_for_covid19.html

average_runner

zell12 wrote: »

It is law
you can be summoned to court if you don't have an essential reason/reasonable excuse to be more than 5km from home.
and you can get an FCN of €100 for travelling without a reasonable excuse
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/covid19/public_health_measures_for_covid19.html

Can give u a fine but not force u turn back

average_runner

Jim Gazebo wrote: »

Ffs. Micheal martin said last March there was no scientific basis for a 5km travel restriction. And yet here for the 2nd time he also implements it.

Science doesnt fall under common sense. So if u stay in your radius you cant spread outside that radius hence stopping the spread

Graham

average_runner wrote: »

Can give u a fine but not force u turn back

Are you sure?

Hasn't section 31A of the Health Act 1947 been amended to allow for arrest?

31A. (1)

----//----

( b ) restrictions to be imposed upon travel to, from or within geographical locations to which an affected areas order applies;

----//----

31A. (7) A member of the Garda Síochána who suspects, with reasonable cause, that a person is contravening or has contravened a provision of a regulation made under subsection (1) that is stated to be a penal provision, may, for the purposes of ensuring compliance with the regulation, direct the person to take such steps as the member considers necessary to comply with the provision.

(8) ( a ) A person who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a direction under subsection (7) shall be guilty of an offence.

( b ) A member of the Garda Síochána may arrest without warrant a person whom the member has reasonable cause for believing is committing or has committed an offence under this subsection.

average_runner

Graham wrote: »

Are you sure?

Hasn't section 31A of the Health Act 1947 been amended to allow for arrest?

All the road blocks here are on roads you cant turn around, same with n4, n11, n7.

They tell u to turn when further down but no one to enforce it

zerosugarbuzz

Jim Gazebo wrote: »

Ffs. Micheal martin said last March there was no scientific basis for a 5km travel restriction. And yet here for the 2nd time he also implements it.

Is he the weakest most spineless Taoiseach we have ever had?

whisky_galore

zell12 wrote: »

It is law
you can be summoned to court if you don't have an essential reason/reasonable excuse to be more than 5km from home.
and you can get an FCN of €100 for travelling without a reasonable excuse
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/covid19/public_health_measures_for_covid19.html

Has anyone really been summoned or fined or is it an idle threat?

Cerveza

It’s getting fairly annoying now being stopped when you are driving and car transporter with recovered car on it and they asking you where you are going etc.
Do they think I’m driving around for the craic?

TheChizler

average_runner wrote: »

Science doesnt fall under common sense. So if u stay in your radius you cant spread outside that radius hence stopping the spread

Makes sense if you're trying to stop it spreading geographically, but when it's already everywhere what's the point of 20 vs 5 vs 2km? I think it's more about conveying the seriousness of the situation, makes you less likely to leave the house at all.

Cluedo Monopoly

Discodog wrote: »

So checkpoints will be back.

Edit: Commencing today, gardaí will be carrying out “intensive mobile high visibility checkpoints” in local areas.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-to-carry-out-intensive-checkpoints-in-local-areas-as-level-5-restrictions-implemented-39918278.html

I travel across Galway county one evening a week. 2 hour drive.
In all of 2020 I was stopped twice in around 45 trips.
On Friday evening I was stopped 3 times. Twice on the same road within 10 miles.

Graham

average_runner wrote: »

All the road blocks here are on roads you cant turn around, same with n4, n11, n7.

They tell u to turn when further down but no one to enforce it

So you're saying they do have the legal authority to compel you to turn back?

That's not what your previous post suggested.

average_runner wrote: »

Can give u a fine but not force u turn back

whisky_galore

Cerveza wrote: »

It’s getting fairly annoying now being stopped when you are driving and car transporter with recovered car on it and they asking you where you are going etc.
Do they think I’m driving around for the craic?

It seems 0700-0900 and 1600-1800 is prime time for going to house parties, by Garda checkpoint logic.

timeToLive

CB19Kevo wrote: »

Could this crisis change many peoples view on our police.?

Yeah.. it has changed mine. I can't respect them for stopping people 5.1km from their homes and then fining them

TheChizler

timeToLive wrote: »

Yeah.. it has changed mine. I can't respect them for stopping people 5.1km from their homes and then fining them

That happened?

Discodog

Cluedo Monopoly wrote: »

I travel across Galway county one evening a week. 2 hour drive.
In all of 2020 I was stopped twice in around 45 trips.
On Friday evening I was stopped 3 times. Twice on the same road within 10 miles.

Same here last lockdown. I think they like having local blitzes. They are also trying to move away from fixed checkpoints maybe because they are so easy to spot on Google maps.

PhilOssophy

Is anybody actually being fined though? I watched a checkpoint for a while this morning and I didn't even see 1 person being stopped, they looked like they were checking tax and insurance more than where anybody was going to/from.
Can the ANPR not be used to see where the car is registered to? Surely that'd quickly identify who is outside 5km?
Otherwise, these checkpoints are a waste of time and money.
(Sorry if this has already been covered in the 50 pages, it was just my experience from earlier).

PhilOssophy

Another question - are the Gardai in the Garda Band full-time band members? Do they not do actual Garda work? I have always presumed they were Gardai who happened to be able to play an instrument in their spare time?

vickers209

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Is anybody actually being fined though? I watched a checkpoint for a while this morning and I didn't even see 1 person being stopped, they looked like they were checking tax and insurance more than where anybody was going to/from.
Can the ANPR not be used to see where the car is registered to? Surely that'd quickly identify who is outside 5km?
Otherwise, these checkpoints are a waste of time and money.
(Sorry if this has already been covered in the 50 pages, it was just my experience from earlier).

See attached from wicklow garda

Cluedo Monopoly

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Is anybody actually being fined though? I watched a checkpoint for a while this morning and I didn't even see 1 person being stopped, they looked like they were checking tax and insurance more than where anybody was going to/from.
Can the ANPR not be used to see where the car is registered to? Surely that'd quickly identify who is outside 5km?
Otherwise, these checkpoints are a waste of time and money.
(Sorry if this has already been covered in the 50 pages, it was just my experience from earlier).

One word gets you waved on. Shopping.

They never asked me a question beyond "what is the purpose of your journey?"

TheChizler

vickers209 wrote: »

See attached from wicklow garda

Weren't they all the cars that had to be towed cause they were blocking a road up in Wicklow?

prunudo

vickers209 wrote: »

See attached from wicklow garda

Thats was sparked my initial question. Were these people being fined for traffic offenses, like bad parking, blocking gates etc. Or had the 5km restrictions actually been made into law.
Or is the fcn simply a catch all fine that allows them cover anything in the health they deem you to be in breach of.