Month: February 2016

Intelligence led, smart policing is the order of the day. The Annual Policing Plan 2015 launched by the Garda Commissioner set out the policing commitments of the service and set the priorities for An Garda Síochána as determined by the Minister for Justice and Equality under Section 20 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

The Garda Commissioner stated “I am conscious that the close relationship we enjoy with communities across the country remains critical to our ability to prevent and tackle crime. We do not take this relationship for granted and will work to maintain and develop these strong links. Combining our community engagement and community policing philosophy with a renewed sense of public service and duty will be a priority for the entire organisation in 2015”.

That statement rings hollow now in view of the destruction of the effective system of community engagement that once existed in this jurisdiction. The Minister and the Commissioner are quick to point out that the closure of rural garda stations has not undermined policing. In fact they have argued that the rural community will somehow benefit from an improved service because of it.

In an article in The Irish Examiner on Wednesday, January 06, 2016 Elaine Loughlin reported that Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald had ruled out reopening Garda stations which had closed in recent years and she said the focus would now be on “smart policing”.

She said there were large parts of the country where crime rates were lower and therefore didn’t need the same concentration of garda stations as other areas. Ms Fitzgerald said that gardaí were making better use of technology and instead of having a station, a single garda could be made responsible for a particular area.

Apparently she also said: “What you have to do is give the gardaí the technology. People say you need the garda station in order to have local knowledge. What we are doing is around the country, you may not have a station but you will have a garda responsible for that area, going out working with Community Alert.”

The statements made by Minister Fitzgerald underlines the lack of understanding by politicians of the basics of policing and further underlines why it is imperative that political influence in defining policing strategy must be ended.

There are a number of issues at stake here;

The general lack of resources and the shortage of manpower in the specialist units

The ban on recruitment

The new roster system

The closure of the rural garda stations

The dilution of community engagement.

While these are regularly addressed separately by the authorities they are, in fact, all connected.

The moratorium on recruitment over the last few years created the first link in the chain of manpower shortage and cut off the supply of new gardai. Retirements and promotions reduced the core number annually which meant that not only was the Force not maintaining its numbers but was actually decreasing in size.

An Garda Siochana traditionally operated a four shift system. The introduction of the new roster system created a fifth shift which required extra manpower and created a headache for garda management who now had to find those extra resources from somewhere. The closure of rural garda stations allowed for those members to be transferred to larger urban areas to fill some of those vacancies. Community gardai were also utilised to make up numbers. Removing all these members had a direct negative impact on community engagement and intelligence gathering.

This problematic fifth shift also created another difficulty for garda management in so far as there are members falling over each other at certain times when there is no great demand for them and a shortage of manpower at other times when the demand is high. So it is possible to have two shifts overlapping at 12 noon on certain days in the week and the bare bones of a shift working in the early hours of the weekend when the night clubs are emptying their cargo onto the streets.

The manpower shortage also meant that there were very few opportunities for gardai to transfer from regular policing duties to the specialised units such as armed response units and the various detective units. Many of these were also being depleted due to promotions and natural wastage. So now there are fewer armed gardai available to support those working at the coal face which means it is more likely that unarmed gardai will continue to be the first responders to incidents like the recent events in the regency Hotel in Dublin.

How in the face of this, both the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner can agree that An Garda Siochana is adequately resourced is a mystery to many. They seem to limp along from one incident to the next without any definite plan while at the same time suggesting that everything is under control. But there is supposed to be a plan because one of the roles of the newly established Policing Authority is to approve one. So where is it?

Maybe the plan should involve getting back to basics. Put bodies back on the streets and into the communities. Let policemen and women do what they do best. Engage with people, gather intelligence, enforce the law and go after the bad guys. It’s time for those in charge to show the leadership and honesty that the troops on the ground deserve to ensure that they have the protection and the resources to do their job as safely and as effectively as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s no surprise there are shootings on our streets. There is a gaping hole in gangland intelligence

 

Last week we heard about Mr. Perry Wharrie who was sentenced to life imprisonment in England in 1989 for his part in an armed robbery in which an off duty policeman was shot and killed. He was released on parole in 2006 and in 2008 he was sentenced to thirty years in prison in Ireland but had that reduced by thirteen years recently on appeal. The Court of Criminal Appeal said that the sentencing judge had made a mistake because he didn’t give any credit to Wharrie for “refraining from giving false evidence at his trial”.

This week we hear about Mr. Jeffrey Dumbrell who is currently serving a life sentence in Wheatfield Prison and has convictions for murder, assault and theft. A violent character by the sound of it so when he told a prison officer that he was going to rip his head off, the prison officer rightly took the threat seriously and made a complaint to the gardai.

Dumbrell was sentenced to three and a half years for the threat but it can’t be added on to his existing sentence so it will run concurrently. Why can’t it be added on I hear you scream? Well let me explain. Actually, I’ll rephrase that, I will tell you why and then you can try to figure it out for yourself.

The courts have ruled that Dumbrell cannot have his life sentence extended because technically a life sentence never ends. When life sentence prisoners are released they are released on what is called ‘permanent temporary release’.

The Judge said that prison officers cannot be allowed to be threatened in such a serious manner and have to be protected.

I’m sure that the prison officer concerned, and his colleagues, will feel much safer going about their daily business now that they have this protection. I just hope it’s not the permanent temporary type.

I don’t have much more than a passing interest in politics and I don’t have a loyalty to any particular party. But while I do recognise those individuals who genuinely work hard for the benefit of their constituents, there are others that just do my head in. Eamon Ryan, Leader of the Green Party, is one of those guys.

There are certain noises that can grate your nerve endings and hurt your teeth. Like the sound of nails being scraped across a blackboard, feedback on a public address system, Daniel O’Donnel or poor old Eamon screeching about the imminent death of the environment.

Since the last election when the Green Party was wiped out, the environment has largely been left to fend for itself. I haven’t missed John Gormley or Eamon in the least but sadly for me, some of that is about to change. In an article published recently in The Sunday Independent, Eamon announced that his team is ready to contest the forthcoming election.

He’s probably a very nice character in real life but I get the impression that he’s watching me and he wants to make me feel guilty. He makes me feel like I should be wearing a shirt made of leaves and I should ride a Raleigh Chopper to the local store in the rain to buy some seeds for my allotment where I should grow my veg that I should eat raw. And I should eat on the floor because if I use a chair, Eamon will blame me for destroying some rain forest in South America.

In actual fact I don’t own a bike. I drive a Mazda CX5, 2.2 litre diesel and I love it. It’s powerful, comfortable and it’s high off the ground which makes it easier for me to get in and out of with my dodgy back. Eamon wants to make me feel guilty for that too and I can appreciate that public transport is a must for lots of people but it is highly unlikely that you will ever see me on a bicycle or the 15A or 23C wherever they go.

I want to see a proper road network system which will allow motorists to get around the country with relative ease and if that means upsetting some rare three legged pink spotted toad living under a rock on the proposed route. Then I’m sorry Mr. Toad but just go take a hike.

On a serious note there is, no doubt, a global issue here that needs to be addressed and the environment needs to be considered. There is something askew when our winters are getting warmer than our summers and there are parts of the country that are literally struggling to keep their heads above water. Polar bears are getting tans and that can’t be good. The recent snow storm in America broke all sorts of records for its severity and Europe too has seen extremes of weather.

The Green Party website states that following the devastation caused by the flooding across the country, their party is urging the Office of Public Works and Minister of State Harris to ring fence a portion of capital monies for flood defence schemes towards community led catchment management projects. Not too sure what that means exactly.

The Green Party Environment Spokesperson, Cllr Malcolm Noonan, says that ‘soft’ engineering solutions exist that represent value for money, are ecologically sound and give ownership to local communities and in particular the farming community to solutions. He says that local knowledge and stewardship is critical to successful projects in other countries. I’m stumped here again I’m afraid.

They see merit in using natural attenuation, planting of broadleaf trees, natural revetment and other less intensive projects as being viable. ‘We need to restore natural ecosystems and habitats and work with nature’ he said. These Greens seem to have an issue with using regular English but I did notice that they have a secret weapon.

On their website they have a statement proclaiming that a professional surfer is aiming to get into politics and to ride the Green Party wave. Fergal Smith is set to contest Clare constituency in General Election 2016.

In a statement he says ”I am running for the Green Party, for my daughter and all Irish children. We all appreciate the major problems our children are going to have to deal with, but perhaps less apparent is that the solutions for them already exist. The next generation needs leaders who are not afraid to lead them into these changing times. My priority is the environment; without healthy soil nothing exists: trees, vegetables, grass, grazing animals and their produce”.

 

Their spokesperson on Justice states that Ireland’s justice system is in need of reform and that requires new thinking about how we tackle crime in all sectors of society. Crimes against women and children in particular must be taken more seriously. The Green Party believes in a justice system that reforms offenders as well as punishes them.

You see, that’s why I have a difficulty with the Greens. Many of their statements are fluffy and wooly. Saying that the justice system is in need of reform is a bit like saying that the sky should be blue for longer periods. We know that but how do you make it happen? Maybe the surfer knows. And if he should get elected maybe he will cycle to the Dail…in a wetsuit.

 

 

 

 

 

There is a very interesting story in the Irish Examiner today written by Ruaidhri Giblin. It concerns Perry Wharrie who many of you will remember was convicted of trying to import €440 million worth of cocaine into Ireland through West Cork in 2007. He and his buddies were only caught after they put diesel into a petrol engine on their rib which then broke down and capsized in rough seas and spilled their load into the sea while they were trying to come ashore in Dunlough Bay.

Mr. Wharrie had pleaded not guilty but was convicted by a jury and sentenced to thirty years in prison in 2008. This wasn’t his first brush with the law because he was previously sentenced to life imprisonment in England in 1989 for his part in an armed robbery in which an off duty policeman was shot and killed. He was left out on parole in 2006 and a year later, we now know, he was back to his old ways.

Mr. Wharrie has appealed his thirty year sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal and has had it reduced to seventeen and a half years. Mr. Justice Hunt said that the sentencing judge had made a mistake because he didn’t give any credit to Wharrie for “refraining from giving false evidence at his trial”.

So here we have a serious criminal who gets a life sentence for being part of an armed robbery where an off duty policeman is shot and killed. He gets out on parole and almost immediately gets caught bringing 1.5 tonnes of cocaine into Ireland. He rightfully gets thirty years for that and then Mr. Justice Tony Hunt and his colleagues reduce it to seventeen and a half years because he ‘refrained from giving false evidence at his trial’.

I’m finding it very difficult to get my head around this but Mr. Wharrie who ‘refrained from giving false evidence at his trial’ must be having a right good laugh.

 

 

 

Christy Kinahan, Fat Freddie Thompson, Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch are names most of us will be familiar with. These are the toe rags that have been making huge sums of money peddling death and destruction on our streets for years. They have accrued vast sums of money on the back of the misery of others and they have proven that they, and the likes of them, have no regard for human life.

Neither have they any regard for law and order, democracy or now, it seems, the free press. The recent threats on the lives of two journalists have proven this. The general public, the gardai and the media should expect to be able to go about their daily lives without having to worry about coming face to face with these scumbags and their henchmen.

It’s at times like this that we look for leadership. We expect our Government to be outraged and to strike back. We expect some fighting talk and we stand shoulder to shoulder ready to provide whatever support we can.

So let’s hear some awe inspiring statement from our Taoiseach, Enda Kenny. He said he hoped there would be no further bloodshed. He also stated that the gardai knew what to do to crack down on gang crime and that they have the resources and the capacity to deal with it.

That’s not exactly going to knock Martin Luther Kings ‘I had a dream’ speech into second place.

It’s blatantly obvious that An Garda Siochana lacks resources and the Garda Commissioner has a responsibility to speak out on this. Politicians are quick to point out that the responsibility for policing and the management of resources is an issue for the Commissioner. If the fickle finger of fate conspires against her at some future point it might be comforting for her to be able to say that at least she fought a good fight.

 

 

Saint Valentines’ Day is upon us and it is one of the most dangerous days of the year. It has the potential to be as dangerous as trying to drive blindfolded in the overtaking lane of a German autobahn. You can get into as much trouble for doing the wrong thing as you can for doing nothing. Banana skins everywhere.

It’s a day when sales of flowers, cards and chocolates go through the roof. It is a time when love poems are written and undying love is declared. Proposals of marriage are made and are often expected. It’s a time for cute little teddy bears, pink hearts and little bows and arrows wielded by Cupid.

The origins of St. Valentine’s Day are a little cloudy but it appears to have its roots in the old Roman Empire. It seems that two characters named Valentine were executed by Claudius on the same date, the fourteenth of February, but in different years. Then at some later stage these guys were martyred and the date became immortalised in their memory.

One story concerns a priest named Valentine who offended Claudius and was duly dispatched. Claudius suspected that single men performed better as soldiers so he decided to ban marriage. Valentine decided that this was ridiculous so he continued to carry on performing secret marriages. That is until good old Claudius got wind of it.

There is also another story of Valentine, whether it’s the same person or not is also vague. In any event he was jailed and fell in love with the daughter of his jailer. Before he was executed he wrote a love note to her expressing his undying love, which was a bit rich given where he was headed.

St. Valentine’s Day hasn’t always been associated with chocolates and flowers. Gang warfare ruled the streets of Chicago during the 1920’s and one incident took place in a garage on the city’s North Side on February 14^th 1929. Seven men associated with the Irish gangster, Bugs Moran, one of Al Capone’s long-time enemies, were shot dead by several men dressed as policemen. It has become known as the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Capone was never convicted of any charge related to the incident but it was generally believed that he was the one behind it. Capone, who was not the most romantic of characters, ran a vicious organisation and had no difficulty killing his competitors. It is believed that he was responsible for sixty four murders in 1929 alone. Bugs Moran operated out of a garage and on that fateful day on February 14^th seven members of his gang were lined up against the wall and shot. It is believed that over ninety bullets were fired and some of the victims were literally cut in two

That’s the official version of The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and I mention it because as far as I am concerned there is an alternative version. And this is not generally well known. You see it’s no coincidence that this took place on February 14^th. Neither is it a coincidence that the victims were all men. Even though Al Capone was blamed for it, he was nowhere to be seen and had a rock solid alibi.

So if you look at all the evidence you’ll find that it all leads to a different scenario. You see, I believe that the whole saga was organised by a bunch of disgruntled women whose husbands obviously forgot to buy them something on Valentine’s Day. So let that serve as a warning to all of you, for God sake don’t forget the flowers!!

If you’re like me then you’re heart sinks at the sight of politicians and canvassers making their way up your driveway. You know that the next few miniutes of your life will be time that you will never get back. And they always manage to arrive right a crucial point in the match. Or they land just when you’re at the point of fixing something that you’ve been cursing for the previous two hours.

You can hide behind the couch, turn off all the lights and pretend to be in Spain but they know. They have a second sense these canvassers and they know the tricks so they stand their ground and intimidate you into opening the door.

So now it looks as if we’re heading into another election. This means that canvassers armed to the teeth with leaflets, pamphlets and enough facts, figures and statistics to bamboozle Vincent Browne, will be heading our way.

I’ve been considering some defensive measures that I might use. I had thought of somehow connecting the bell to the main electricity supply and electrocute anyone pressing it. But if I wasn’t fully alert and one of my neighbours called round then that could get a bit messy.

I thought about digging a huge pit inside the gate and lining it with pointed sticks but I had to quash that idea because it would cause me problems getting my car in and out of the driveway. Dropping pots of boiling tar or large boulders from the roof was another option but then I’d probably ruin the carpet on the stairs getting that stuff up to the attic.

You’re probably wondering what the big deal is about talking to a few canvassers. Well the answer is that I just don’t get anything out of it. I find it tedious listening to insincere waffle. The guys in power will tell you about all their wonderful achievements and how lucky we will be should they return to power. Ask them about what they didn’t do and they will tell you that they didn’t realise how bad things were until they got into power and saw the books. But now they are in a better position to fix everything in the next term.

Then the opposition guys will tell you that everything the government did was completely wrong and if they were to get their hands on the power they would solve everything. You could point out at this stage that everything they did the last time they were in power was just as bad, but then they’ll say that they made mistakes then but they’re a different party now and they’re much wiser.

The independent people then will tell you whatever you want to hear and they can dance to any tune. While the single issue guys are primarily interested in whatever their gripe is, water, pylons, pot-holes, badgers or cruelty to rats and they can’t understand why you don’t get as excited about these things as they do.

But whatever you are told on the doorstep will all be forgotten once the election is over and that’s why I don’t want to waste my time listening to any of it. I don’t believe them and if that’s how I feel then how are they hoping to engage with the youth of the country?

There was a suggestion at some stage that there would be some reform to Ireland’s electoral system, including online voter registration and automatic registration for young people as soon as they turn eighteen. But getting them to register is one thing, getting them to turn out on polling day is a different issue. The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) have said that a survey found 30% of those aged 18-25 were not registered to vote in the last local and European elections.

It’s interesting to note that over half the young people who didn’t vote said their reason for not voting was not lack of interest but they blamed work commitments or else they simply just forgot. It’s not only the young people in Ireland who don’t turn out to vote, European politics has a similar problem.

The Washington Post pointed out that the marriage equality referendum in Ireland produced an exceptionally high level of turnout at 60.5 percent, when the average turnout at referenda here is just over 50 percent. On polling day, Facebook and Twitter reported in real time as tens of thousands took to the site to record their participation and their vote choice. Increased participation by young voters was one of the most notable aspects of the referendum.

It would seem that social media has a huge role to play in politics. The marriage equality referendum was a single issue that the majority of young people understood and had an opinion on one way or the other. It is generally accepted that most young people don’t buy newspapers or watch the news or current affairs on television and they are far more likely to be informed through social media.

So I have a suggestion that may suit everyone. It’s time to mobilise the youth and get them interested in politics. Let the politicians get their act together and start engaging with our young people through Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and whatever else is out there. As for me, don’t bother calling to my front door, just send me an email or a text. Think of all the leaflets, energy and shoe leather that would save. And I wouldn’t have to live in constant fear in the lead up to the election.

Martin Shkreli, a pharmaceutical executive appeared before the U.S. Congress last week. The senate is investigating the exorbitant pricing by pharmaceutical companies of life saving drugs. His company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, bought a drug called Daraprim, which is used to treat a disease that can be fatal to H.I.V. patients. After buying the drug, Turing raised its price from less than thirteen dollars per tablet to seven hundred and fifty dollars. There were many involved in the industry who called the increase unjustifiable.

In a previous interview Shkreli showed little patience for anyone who failed to understand why higher prices and higher profits could be good for the industry and for patients. He has stated that he didn’t go far enough when he hiked the price of Daraprim by more than 5,000% overnight. If he had to do it over again he said he would have raised the prices even more. He has said that his job isn’t about making patients better, it’s about making money.

As CEO of a company, there is no doubt that he has a responsibility to make a profit. But at what cost? Surely the health and wellbeing of patients should enter the equation or maybe that’s just too simplistic. My issue with this guy is the attitude that he displayed during his appearance on Capitol Hill.

He took the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions on the grounds that he might incriminate himself. Fair enough, he was taking the advice of his council and he’s entitled to do that. But his smug, over confident attitude was hard to stomach. He sat there with a silly smirk on his face like a school child who was pretending that he wasn’t embarrassed. He presented himself as an arrogant, greedy, smart ass.

He’s 32 years old so he’s no longer a kid and hopefully, someday this muppet will grow up. Maybe he’s just a slow starter.

I’ve never had a dog. Never really had any interest in having one. Taking it for walks, cleaning up after it or trying to find a home for it while I went on holidays wasn’t my cup of tea. But lots of people do and I can understand that. But there are two types of dog owner. There’s the one who looks after the dog responsibly and then there’s the other type.

I could never understand why someone would want to have a pet and then let it run wild around the neighbourhood. I live in a small estate and there are quite a few dogs both large and small roaming freely. They are released early in the morning by their owners and allowed to run riot until they are locked up again for the night.

There are a couple of small yokes living near me who leave their house at about 7.30am most mornings. They park themselves outside my gate for most of the day and bark constantly, mostly at nothing. After a while the constant yapping starts to grate on the nerves. They are often visited by other mutts who don’t understand what the small things are barking at but decide to join in anyway.

There are other dogs, large by the sound of them, not too far away who also like to have a barkfest at all hours of the day and night. And barking is not all that they do. They don’t seem to be the least bit embarrassed about fouling any garden they can get in to or the common green areas. During the summer time I cut some of the grass in these areas so I have regularly seen the evidence for myself. This is not only happening in my back yard, it seems to be a national issue.

So what’s the story with these irresponsible dog owners? They are plainly flouting the law for one. The law states that dogs are not to be out in public without a leash. It also states that it is an offence for the owner not to clean up after their dog. But whatever about the law, they obviously have no regard for their neighbours or for the public generally. They are completely thoughtless about the impact their darling pets are having on their community. In short, they are selfish and inconsiderate.

I remember as a youngster watching people toilet training their dogs. They used to shove the dogs nose into the mess and then give them a smack. Apparently this made the dogs realise that they should go to the toilet somewhere else other than the kitchen floor. Maybe we should start using that technique on these carefree owners.

As an alternative, there is also the legal route because there is a serious side to this dog fouling business. It can be especially dangerous for anyone with small children.

According to Cork City Council, under Section 22 (of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997) , it is not an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul in a public place, however it is an offence to let your dog foul and fail to remove and dispose of the foul subsequently. This means that you or the person in charge of your dog is required under this law to remove dog faeces and dispose of it in a suitable and sanitary way.

An on-the-spot fine of €150 can be imposed on the owner of a dog who fails to remove dog faeces from a public place, with the maximum fine for this offence being €3,000.

Failure to clean up after your dog can result in humans, particularly children, becoming infected by a dog parasite that can cause blindness.  The parasite is a worm called Toxocara canis that passes its eggs in the dogs’ stools. Toxocara is a roundworm which infects dogs in Ireland.  It is rare for a dog, especially a young pup, not to be troubled by worms at some stage.  Even in dogs that are regularly wormed can still carry some of these worms. The worm lives in the dog’s intestine and its eggs are passed in the dog’s stools.

Toxocariasis is an infection which humans can pick up as a result of coming into contact with the eggs contained in the dog’s stools. Although usually a mild infection in humans, Toxocariasis can have potentially serious health effects such as blindness. This is rare BUT it can and does happen.

The Toxocarra eggs have to be ingested (i.e. taken into the mouth and swallowed) before someone can catch the infection. This could happen if a person handles soil, sand or any other material that is contaminated with dog stools and subsequently has direct contact with the mouth before hand-washing. Gardens, play areas and public parks are likely sites for contamination with dog stools.

So there is a genuine cause for concern apart from the fact that it is particularly unpleasant to look at. The Control of Dogs Act 1986 requires owners to be over the age of sixteen years, they must licence the animal every year, keep them under control in public places, accompany their dogs at all times and prevent the nuisance of excessive barking.

So in short we seem to have lots of rules and regulations governing the control of dogs in public places. Rules about pooping, barking, cleaning poop and not being allowed to run wild in public. On the other hand we have an abundance of dogs roaming freely all across the land, pooping and barking at will. Maybe it’s time to start asking a few questions.