A ‘good cop’ policy wins over hearts and minds
IN THE midst of worry and turmoil, gardaí from around the country have rallied to bring a smile to the faces of our most vulnerable.
At a time when the world has been disturbed by actions of US police, twice shortlisted Booker Prize author David Mitchell said ‘one victim of police brutality is police decency’ and told the story of how a rural Cork garda’s act of kindness was a ‘big deal’ for a non-verbal autistic child.
He wrote in his column for UK magazine The Spectator how the child’s tutor wanted to get a birthday present to him during lockdown and it was the local gardaí who made it happen. ‘It wasn’t done for press coverage or approving tweets, but because the gardaí who made it happen are decent human beings.’
Referring to the death of George Floyd for which a US police officer has been charged with murder, the west Cork-based author added: ‘Policing rural Ireland is easier, no doubt, than policing urban America, but whatever the context, let’s not let the worst besmirch the best.’
This ‘act of kindness’ has been replicated time and time again in Ireland during this unprecedented emergency. Ursula O’Reilly, a widow who has been cocooning in Navan, told the MoS it is ‘hard to get across how much it meant’ to have her community garda Stacey Looby call with a newspaper for her each Sunday.
The grandmother told how she intends to tell the garda’s superior what it meant to her.
‘I had seen Drew Harris on television say if anyone had any worries to ring their local Garda station and I took his advice,’ Ms O’Reilly said. ‘I rang the first Sunday of the lockdown because I have to have the newspaper of a Sunday. I thought how am I going to get a newspaper? So I rang the Garda station and that’s how I came to know Stacey. Every Sunday of the lockdown I had my newspaper delivered and if she was off duty she would get someone else to do it. Not only did I get my paper, but I got my paper and a bar of chocolate. She’s a lovely person. I have a friend for life now; she’s marvellous.’ The MoS also heard stories from up and down the country of an impromptu birthday party; a virtual tea dance for our cocooning elderly; dancing gardaí raising money for a sick little boy, and gardaí sporting funny hairdos to raise money for hospitals. Important awareness-raising work was also done for women’s and men’s refuges as fears grew that domestic violence would skyrocket as families are largely confined to their homes.
Garda Looby said she feels she has got back to basic policing. ‘Out of something so awful, I am getting to know people I would never have had the opportunity to meet before and it is heartwarming,’ she said.
In Meath, Oliver McCann looked overjoyed as he celebrated his 95th birthday with friends despite being forced into isolation.
Mr McCann had been cocooning alone but got a tremendous surprise when the gardaí arrived with a cake and invited the neighbours to help him eat it. Garda Looby said: ‘I got a cake from SuperValu in Navan, which they donated for free when they heard what it was for, and I invited neighbours to come and all socially distance to sing happy birthday to him in the garden.’
In Longford, a virtual tea dance filmed live from Thomond Lodge Nursing Home in Ballymahon was enjoyed online by thousands from local nursing homes.
Organised by community sergeant Lionel Mullally and his team, the tea dance featured music, dance and poems and the elderly were able to enjoy it all from the comfort of their sitting rooms.
Sgt Mullally paraphrased a poem by Michael D Higgins telling the older members of his community: ‘As we move towards the light, we will not let these dark moments threaten us, we will hold firm, we will take care, we will come home together.’
In Kerry, gardaí got their dancing shoes on for two babies with a genetic neuromuscular condition whose families are fighting hard to give their children a better quality of life with gene therapy in the US. Garda Mary Gardiner went viral with her version of (Is This The Way To) Amarillo? for the Do it for Dan campaign.
Kildare gardaí also raised over €20,000 for local hospitals by shaving and dyeing their hair. Garda Seán O’Mahoney told the MoS there were some ‘very funny-looking gardaí’ around Kildare for a few weeks.
At a time when a surge in domestic violence has been linked to the pandemic, gardaí in Navan hosted a ‘go purple day’ to raise money and awareness for the Meath Women’s Refuge and Men’s Aid Ireland. Figures this week show the force has dealt with 5,592 cases of domestic abuse since Operation Faoiseamh, the dedicated domestic violence operation during lockdown, was launched on April 1.
In the Dáil this week, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said: ‘I see a real sense of purpose in Garda members, as they serve and protect us in these unprecedented times. As minister, I thank them.’
‘I invited neighbours to sing happy birthday’