Stephen Moore: Dublin riots highlight lack of leadership and support for An Garda Síochána
A garda evades missiles during the Love Ulster riot in Dublin in February, 2006. Stephen Moore was on duty that day and says gardaí took back back control of the city due to strong leadership. Picture: Niall Carson/PA
Like so many Dubliners, last Friday morning I woke up with feelings of disgust, shame, disappointment, and anger.
I was a member of An Garda Síochána for almost 20 years and I served all my time in Pearse Street Garda Station. If I had not resigned earlier this year, I would have been standing shoulder to shoulder with my former colleagues as a riotous mob took control of our streets, or if I was less fortunate, I could have been one of the lone guards placed in the horrible scenario of facing a mob by themselves on O’Connell Bridge.
This might sound strange to some, but it won’t to all ex-gardaí — I wish I had been there on Thursday night.
Let us not forget what led to this night of shame. A horrific attack took place in our city, heroes stood up and intervened and the emergency services arrived and did what they do — saved lives. The nation’s prayers and thoughts go out to all affected, and we wish them all a speedy recovery.
There was no excuse for what happened after this terrifying assault.
Important evidence could have been compromised as a group of mindless thugs tried to enter and destroy a crime scene, as brave members of An Garda Síochána pushed them back. The early stages of the riot reminded me of the Love Ulster riots in 2006.
I worked that day and I remember a mob taking control of the capital’s main thoroughfare.
However, it wasn’t long until we took back the city and this was due to strong leadership, who asked us to use whatever means necessary to do so. Of most importance that day, the leadership said they would back up their orders and support gardaí.
On Thursday night, as I watched many clips on social media, I saw gardaí take abuse, be assaulted and I did not see a plan. Many knew it was coming to this.
People have been avoiding the city centre for years now. Why? It’s simple, it’s fear.
If you walk in our capital city, you are quickly greeted with the impacts of alcohol and drug abuse on every corner and you will be lucky to see a garda on patrol. How did it come to this? How was a mob allowed to control our city centre for so long? How were expectant parents told to stay away from the city’s main maternity hospital?
When I took my first beat in Dublin City in 2004, I was content with the knowledge that if I came across an incident and I needed assistance, it would be there in no time.
This gave me confidence and a sense of security when carrying out my duties.
Also, I was fully supported in my role to protect the public by strong leadership. Today, there is nobody to assist if a garda member is in need, and if there is, they take longer to arrive, this is proven when we see the number of assaults on gardaí increasing year on year.
A new era began during my time in An Garda Síochána (AGS), an era of oversight and fear. Fear to police the city and maintain law and order. Suddenly if force is used, a report is required and a possible secondment to office duties is likely.
Paperwork has increased, and management support and supervision has decreased dramatically. A new toxic atmosphere has been allowed fester and gardaí feel alone. Every incident gardaí attend in the city is being recorded by somebody on a camera, and the respect once the bedrock of AGS’s relationship with the community is subsiding. Nothing has been done by management to alleviate the fears of members of AGS or the public at large.
An Garda Síochána’s response had suddenly changed to a tolerant approach. We have seen large groups of youths terrorise communities all around Dublin since covid.
We have seen attacks at Dart stations and on delivery drivers and we were tolerant. We saw public disorder at anti-vaccination demonstrations, and we were tolerant, normal decent working people have been impacted by a small group of anti-immigration thugs who stopped traffic at the port tunnel, the M1 and many other major roads and junctions and we were tolerant.
People who came to Ireland to seek shelter have been humiliated and threatened and we have been tolerant. Lunatics have been allowed assault staff in libraries up and down the country and we have been tolerant. Politicians have been abused outside the Dáil and we have been tolerant.
When is enough, enough? I say now.
Like many, I want to walk safely through Dublin City at any time, I do not want to see drunks or addicts shooting up.
I want to see gardaí, two at a time on beat patrol. I do not want to see youths in groups intimidating tourists. If I’m honest, I don’t want to see any teenagers in the city after midnight. Why are they there? Is it time for a curfew on teenagers?
Parents in my opinion have a lot to answer for. Roaming gangs of youths is unacceptable in any society, why do we tolerate it? It is time to get real, hit parents where it hurts, force convicted youths to payback through community service, rebuilding the communities they are destroying.
There is a real appetite to finally solve the antisocial behaviour plaguing our city. Is it time for a zero-tolerance approach? I believe so.
The Government needs to change its current policy of tolerance and appeasement. The judiciary needs to step up and garda management needs to call for it. These thugs believe that they can engage in whatever behaviour they want and there will be no consequences, this must change, and it must change now. A message needs to be sent that Dublin is a city of law and order and there are consequences for bad behaviour.
The Commissioner came out on Friday morning and said AGS has enough members and resources. Who is he trying to kid? I know that this is not what he is being told. He consistently sides with his government and not with the brave, dedicated members of AGS.
Now, it is time for him to listen, or maybe that time has passed, and the no confidence motion the GRA membership voted on earlier this year must be revisited. Now is the time for strong leadership not a government puppet.
The vast majority of gardaí are fed up with upper management, the lack of resourcing, being treated differently depending on which way the wind is blowing.
They need a firm commitment of support, they need to be resourced properly, they need strong leadership, and they need these things now. I have complete faith in the members of AGS and I know with public support and if allowed to, they will restore law and order once again to my city.
- Stephen Moore is a former garda and founder of Out of the Blue Training
