Very typical male reply.

It’s the very fact that a Gard would think to say something like this!! Shows how they relish in the power trip & I’m sure this has sent to a chill to many victims to which you should be more sensitive.

We’re not all the same Dara!

Let me guess steve, your a garda

Sticks and stone is the worst rhyme to teach kids. Words do hurt and telling them they don’t stunts their emotional intelligence.
Teaching them how to deal with it is a far better thing to do than telling them to effectively get over it cause ‘words will never hurt you’.

Gearóid you obviously don’t get it – getting recorded was not the worst thing that the Gardai did and it is not political correctness crap – how do think a woman, child or man would now feel if they had to report a sexual assault to these Gardai or others like them who think it is only a bit of banter?

It’s about the attitude displayed by the Gardai, not the intent, that they, and a few others, think that rape is a laughing matter. Thankfully such people are clearly in the minority. Even the comments show that the majority of men are as deeply offended by this incident as women. This is also about thoughtlessness, ignorance and the possible abuse of power.

The Rape Crisis Network of Ireland’s Executive Director Fiona Neary puts it better than I can – “It is critical that someone speaking to the gardai about rape feels confident that they will be treated with dignity and respect and that the crimes against them will be treated in a serious manner. The public, and victims of sexual violence, must be able to trust the gardai.”

If a Garda treats “rape” as a boisterous banter and a joke I would personally worry that if they were investigating a rape/sexual assault they’d place a lesser emphasis on the gravity of the crime, as we’ve seen it’s all a wee joke. If for instance a teacher was caught on tape slagging off a special needs student would you feel confident in that teachers ability to teach these children. Aside from the disgusting and degrading things these Gardai have said, they’ve brought their work ethics into question and I don’t feel they could appropriately handle all the job offers. Is that the kind of Garda you wish to uphold the laws of the state and protect it’s citizens?

I think the Gaurds do a great job, I have to communicate with them a lot for work reasons and 99% of the time they are brilliant. I know what it’s like to work in a tough environment and you do need to try and find your laughter sometimes from the worst situations but these guys are usually the first point of contact for rape victims and for that reason I’m never going to agree that their so called banter was just that. I also don’t think it’s ever ok to joke about rape. I’m a fairly easy going person and I’m not a member of the politically correct parade but rape is just one of those things that I personally would never laugh about.

Great sense of perspective Simon – this kind of banter does happen in most ordinary working relationships, and it is exacerbated for Guards as they have to appear to be well behaved and mind their language when dealing with the public do to our obsession with being PC and complaining/suing when we find anything slightly offensive – so when it comes to private conversations, im sure they discuss the less appropriate and PC stuff that cant be said when dealing with the public..
I dont think they intend to go on a sexual assault rampage, or deal with these crimes in a less sensitive way, so this does need a sense of perspective.
I reckon the taboo and gravity of the term ‘rape’ was diminished with Tommy Tiernans infamous sketch regarding ‘Declan Moffitt’ (YouTube it if you haven’t seen), and at the time of this DVD being released, jokes and references of this nature became common place amongst a certain age of men AND women, due to the ability to absolve responsibility for using the term by referencing that sketch.
Not saying it’s right, I just think that’s where it stems from..

It’s a very valid point Vanessa. I work quite closely with the Gardaí myself and have always found them to be professional in their approachto sensitive cases. I don’t agree with their comments either, but I also don’t agree with them being vilified to the point they could lose their jobs. Rape is a genderless assault and there are many men who have been victim of it and may have to confide in the Gardaí. I actually have no doubt that should one if these guys be involved in a rape case that they would act in a very professional manner and with the upmost respect for the victim. It’s very hard to make judgement on someone’s character over a stupid flippant remark made in private. As I said earlier, we are all guilty of finding humor in something that others may find offensive. This is always going to be a thorny subject and there will be debated at length I sure but ultimately those men’s fate lies in the hands of the ombudsman. I just think it’s in our nature here to campaign about the wrong issues? This proves it. The government are trying to cut Garda funding to reduce numbers on the streets, which will ultimately mean the general public will suffer more crime. But that doesn’t sell papers or stir people’s emotion. Hand them a few immature cops and the public is baying for blood.

You gotta love the anonymity of the Internet. Of course anyone who has been or has had a friend or relative been a victim of ANY sort of sexual assault, is going to be incensed by these remarks. Again they have a different perspective on this subject. Simply calling for them to be sacked shows a similar level of immaturity to be honest. Cowan ran this country into the ground and forced tens of thousands on the dole but we let him keep his job? Reprimand of some sort is warranted yes, but dismissal is ridiculous in my opinion. There are far greater offences that have gone unpunished in this country. Were we to punish stupidity in every instance we may just wall up the country and post guards on it.