Sir, - "When constabulary duty's to be done, A policeman's lot is not a happy one," wrote W. S. Gilbert - and, judging by reports in The Irish Times, things are getting worse by the minute. For the second time in as many weeks, gardai have been attacked by thugs wielding weapons and have had their patrol car hijacked. When are we, the public and electorate, going to realise that it's no longer an island of Saints and Scholars we live in, but rather a land of stealers and scumbags? The lovely catchphrase bandied about before the last election - "zero tolerance" - is by now a sick joke, its purpose of getting FF back into power fulfilled.
The Garda Siochana is about the same age as the RUC, which is now undergoing its biggest metamorphosis to date, with possibly more input from this side of the fence than the far side. Is it not about time that we examined the structure of the Garda, with a view to overhauling that organisation too? I'm not talking about changing the name of the force, or altering its badges or uniforms - my suggestion would actually bring the Gardai up to the efficiency standard of 99 per cent of police forces around the world, and thereby have it cease to be the laughing stock of criminals countrywide.
Coincidentally, a picture on page 9 of your edition of September 9th illustrates what I am on about. A French policeman is shown guarding a petrol station in Nice. On his belt, coming as no surprise to anyone, is an essential part of his equipment - a sidearm. I dare say if this gendarme's patrol car was the subject of an attempted hijack, he would not be left standing, injured, in the middle of the road, feeling foolish. It's really about time we stopped deluding ourselves; we're no different to any other country worldwide, so why deprive our law officers of an essential piece of equipment in their daily task of upholding the law of the country? - Yours, etc.,
D.K. Henderson, Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3.