Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It states:

On Monday June 2nd [this year] a visibly irate Garda Sgt. entered our premises asking about tables at the front of the building. When asked by my wife Sally if this was a Garda matter, she was told to shut up. He stated that he had been sent down by Inspector Liam Connolly to get the tables in from the street. He read Sally her rights, and when asked why he did this, he stated that there may be further action and prosecutions in relation to this. This antagonistic behaviour was witnessed by a bar full of customers and tourists.

On Sunday 27th July/Monday morning 12.30 am, [they] approached the doorman and manager, and notified them that the bar was to be closed. When the guards were informed and shown a special exemption for the night in question, they said that the bar was to be closed and all customers off the premises by 1am - which in fact was not correct as drinking up time brings it to 1.30am. The Garda stated that she had been instructed by Inspector Liam Connolly to inspect and clear the premises. When it was put to the garda about a nearby bar that has, and can only have the same exemption as us, she stated that “they have a different license to you - just get this place cleared.”

The following night, Monday July 28th/Tuesday morning July 29th, gardaí entered the premises of Matt The Millers bar at 2.50am. Inspector Connolly was on the premises drinking, clearly intoxicated, but was permitted to leave hastily - no names were taken and no record of this inspection was recorded on the pulse system.

On August 3rd a member of the public who is not even permitted on our premises, was being spoken to by the doormen at the front of the premises, and in plain sight, pepper sprayed a customer, and then proceeded to threaten people with the spray and a knuckle duster. The guards were called in relation to this matter, but never arrived. Two hours later when the bar was closed and cleared, a single female guard came to the back door of the premises and said that they could not come before this and were busy with other matters. Meanwhile the same [gentleman] was around the town armed with a knuckle duster and pepper spray. A garda said that she would deal with it on Thursday when she came back to work, but I have heard nothing to date from her in relation to this incident. My wife Sally went to the station on the Sunday evening to speak to the sergeant in charge to find out why 2 hours had elapsed before a garda came to the premises - no satisfaction from the sergeant in relation to this - the result was an inspection by him the very same night [on their premises].

This is just a brief outline of what is a sustained and consistent level of harassment by members of An Garda Síochána towards the owners, staff and customers of The Field Bar, High Street, Kilkenny. This harassment started almost immediately after the premises was purchased in July 2007. We are at a loss to know what we did to deserve this treatment, but fully believe it is motivated by a desire to unlawfully force our customer base to go to other premises, so this process of nuisance has a purpose.

A subsequent meeting with Inspector Connolly (who was acting superintendent at the time), was sought by [him] to help "resolve these matters". This meeting content is now part of a Garda Ombudsman complaint. What can only be stated in relation to this is that after this meeting took place, Inspector Connolly became vociferously [involved] with every angle of the harassment, with his name popping up at every juncture.

Despite trying to address this ongoing situation [over the years] it has continued and is becoming even more threatening. Back in early September 2012 a meeting was sought with Superintendent Padraig Dunne, where a number of issues were raised, and the number of inspections of our premises by garda members discussed, and specific garda were named. Just over a week later two gardaí entered The Field premises and proceeded to arrest ... [the owner] Mr. John McDonald ... and while in custody, barraged him with quotes from his previous weeks private discussion with the Superintendent. [They put him in a cell and gave him hell for five hours.]

Some members of An Garda Síochána have conspired to harass us at every turn, and we now have to bring this matter to the attention of the Garda Ombudsman and [we intend to give a copy of the details to] the Minister for Justice, as their inaction to investigate crimes against us has left us in a very vulnerable and unsafe position.

I had intended referring to another case but I do not have time. The culture in An Garda Síochána is problematic. It is dire, and it has to change. If we leave the existing hierarchy in place, how can we expect to see a serious change in culture?

We met Maurice McCabe a couple of weeks ago. I know it is being looked into now but the blatant disregard for the new rules by some senior members of the force is just unbelievable. They seem to be lawless. They are certainly indisciplined and, to a great extent, dysfunctional.

I hope the Government takes all of this more seriously. I know it would like these problems to go away. They are not going to go away. A massive root and branch renewal is required, and it would be great if the Government had an appetite for it.

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