Sir, - On January 5th last at 1.15 p.m. at Amiens Street, Dublin, I observed a very shady character openly examining the contents of a large brown handbag. He was publicly and methodically rifling through the bag for valuables. I immediately rang 999 on my mobile phone and gave gardai a full description of the incident.
Twenty minutes later, what had happened? Had gardai from nearby Store Street Station (30 seconds' walk away) arrived to investigate? Was an arrest made? Were the goodies recovered? No!
While waiting to observe gardai apprehend the sitting duck, I noticed the said character practically reading the diaries and passport from the bag and subsequently making his getaway at a snail's pace up Buckingham Street, clasping a number of bankers' cards discreetly in the palm of his hand. Having retrieved the rifled bag and handed it into a nearby store, where I had business, I then rang 999 again in a frustrated state.
Would somebody please tell me why I should have bothered to ring the guards at all? - Yours, etc.,
L. Boylan, Beaumont, Dublin.