A garda superintendent does a good job

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

Last Christmas a former colleague and I found a middle-age man living in undergrowth. We’ll call him John, which is not his real name. We got him to hospital, where he made a speedy recovery. The man was an alcoholic. 

On being discharged from hospital he told me he was attending two to three AA meetings every day. Only six weeks ago we met for a chat. I thought he was in good form.

Last Monday my colleague called me to tell me John had died.  He had been found dead in his room in a house, which he shared with other men. At this stage his family had not been informed and I was in a state of confusion, wondering whether or not I should call his mother, whom I had got to know over the last few months. 

I called the relevant Garda station. Because of GDPR the garda on duty informed me I could be told nothing. I accepted that but it was the manner in which I was told it that was annoying, indeed, demeaning. I got the impression the garda with whom I spoke may as well have been speaking about a sack of potatoes. 

And what particularly annoyed me was that that the previous evening the new Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, at a press conference, was explaining how important it was that gardaí should respect the public. The garda with whom I spoke showed not a shred of empathy, interest or compassion.

I was not leaving it at that and asked to speak to the superintendent in the local area. I left my number with the station and the superintendent returned my call. We were in written communication to and fro; I explained what happened, he examined the situation and detailed the case to me in an email. The superintendent gave me his own mobile number. The man could not have been more helpful; he was kind and empathetic. He spoke to his fellow officers about what had happened and how I had felt I had not been properly treated.

We sure do live in strange times. There’s much shouting and screaming out there. It’s easy to call a chat show and air one’s complaint.

Of course, we can be badly treated, people in authority and power can abuse their positions. But there are ways and means of dealing with such occasions.

I was impressed with how the superintendent handled the situation and indeed how he dealt with me.

His behaviour was completely in line with what Commissioner Justin Kelly had said in his first press conference.

There’s a twist to the story; within hours of my being in contact with the superintendent I discovered to my horror and yes, annoyance, that John had gone back on the drink, indeed, had been drinking for some time.

And that too brought it home to me nothing is simple, there are twists and turns with every situation.

Yes, I’m upset about John’s death. He was a good man, afflicted with alcoholism. 

But I learned too that An Garda Síochána are doing a good job and have women and men out there doing their best to protect and serve us.