Due poliziotti irlandesi in servizio davanti all'ambasciata americana. Si allontanano dal posto di controllo subito dopo l'inizio del turno di notte.
Vanno al pub di fronte per farsi una bevuta. I drink si moltiplicano. Entrambi si ubriacano, litigano, escono fuori e fanno a botte, sotto gli occhi stupiti dei Marines americani di guardia.
Two Brawling Embassy Cops Fired
By Paddy Clancy
TWO armed cops who were supposed to have been protecting the U.S. Embassy in Dublin are to be dismissed following a drunken punch-up outside the building.
Garda (Police) Commiss ioner Noel Conroy has told the pair they have 28 days in which to lodge an appeal if they intend to challenge his decision to fire them.
The move follows publication this week of the findings of an internal investigation that recommended the men either resign, or be sacked, for a series of disciplinary offenses linked to the incident in June last year.
The officers, who have a combined service of 35 years, were uniformed members of the force in a south Dublin station when they were temporarily transferred to the elite plain-clothes diplomatic protection corps and assigned to armed security duty at the embassy in the upmarket Ballsbridge area of the city.
An investigation led by Superintendent Philip Moynihan found that the unnamed officers, who were armed with Smith and Wesson handguns, left their position outside the embassy shortly after the start of a 12-hour overnight shift.
They went to popular nearby pub, Paddy Cullen’s, named after a former owner who was a Dublin All-Ireland Gaelic football goalkeeper.
In clear breach of rules, they spent an hour in the bar before returning to the embassy for the changeover of the uniformed Garda presence in the security hut.
They returned to the pub and had several more drinks before a dispute broke out over whose turn it was to pay for the next round. They had to be separated by other patrons, but their argument continued on the pavement outside and the brawling pair had to be again separated by onlookers.
They continued fighting when they returned to the embassy where U.S. Marines who were on duty inside the building witnessed part of the incident.
At about 5 a.m. one officer handed his weapon to the uniformed colleague – also against regulations – and drove away in his car. He was arrested soon afterwards by other members of the force on suspicion of drunk driving.
A later conviction for drunk-driving was the only appearance in court by either of the brawlers.
The Director of Public Prosecutions ruled against pressing criminal charges in relation to the fight or the illegal gun handover. The decision was based on the absence of complaint by any member of the public and because neither officer pressed charges against the other.
Following the incident the secretary-general of the Department of Justice telephoned U.S. Ambassador James Kenny to apologize.
[Modificato da admin/moris 13/10/2006 21.40]