to have felt this was unnecessarily aggressive

[nickytjj]

ok so this happened some time ago but I still think about it and feel it was an inappropriate and aggressive response.

I live in Ireland and at the height of the pandemic the whole country was in heavy lockdown. The rules were clear from the top and we all had to follow them. I worked in schools and they were very strict with masks having to be worn, staff having to be in separate staffrooms etc.

Bars,gyms and restaurants etc were long term closed. It sucked but that's the way it was and as somebody who was in the UK for some of the pandemic I can say that Ireland appeared to be stricter and the lockdowns were longer and more severe ime.

Anyway one night I was out for a sit in the park in the and two police men came across a guy loitering nearby. They seemed to know the guy and I think he was homeless. The guy was not doing anything untoward so it wasn't an emergency situation where they had to act fast. They approached him and began searching him. They weren't wearing masks or gloves which I thought was going against the guidance.

After they searched him I politely asked them are they not supposed to be wearing masks and gloves for the pandemic to stop the disease spreading? 1 of them aggressively shone his torch right in my eyes and shouted (actually shouted loud) ''go mind your own business.''

AIBU to think this was a needless act of aggressiveness and abuse? As a teacher I can't imagine the trouble I'd get in if I were to address a member of the public like that who were questioning a procedure in the school that was going against appropriate and safe behaviour and indeed breaking government legislation.

Anyway virtually all lockdown restrictions had been lifted in Ireland by July '21, large indoor public gatherings were perfectly legal so no, there was no need for masks to be worn outdoors

It happened in January 21 during the peak of lockdown.

not sure why you thought that was a good time to try and get involved in a potentially volatile situation you knew nothing about

again the homeless man was found to have nothing on him and had moved on from the scene. The cops were just standing chatting after.

Thanks, I read the OP.

After the search, yes.

OP had not clarified whether the man was still standing there or not. Therefore it wasn't clear whether there were still risks involved at that point of approaching the situation. OP added that part afterwards.

Thoroughly agree

I agree with this. There was absolutely no reason for them to respond like that to you.

The Garda could have been politer but it's unclear if they actually did anything wrong, it would have been worth following up with the station afterwards to clarify if they had been following the rules but I don't think it's worth stewing over 1 year and 10 months later.

I voted YABU because, I agree the Guards did act in an inappropriate and aggressive way and possibly you could have complained to their superiors about your treatment. However, to post to a website a year after the event is unreasonable.

You make a smart arse comment to guards doing their job and want what in return

The point was that they weren't doing their job though. If you went to a restaurant and felt the service was below standard would you class it as a ''smart arse comment'' that somebody called it out?

If the person that called it out wasn't a customer and had no reason to interfere with the service I was receiving I would call it rude rather than smart arse. 😉

But you weren't at a restaurant. The situation had nothing to do with you. I dont 'politely question' my kids school about situations that dont impact them, imagine if every parent stuck their oar in at every perceived slight about anything. Is it even for sure that in July 2021 ppe was needed by them outside? What response did you expect from them? A full explanation of their protocols?

So this was January 2021. So almost TWO years ago.
If you had concerns you should have raised it then - with their boss.
Maybe somebody else did. Maybe they were fired for breaking the rules.
Who knows?

Is it even for sure that in July 2021 ppe was needed by them outside

it was January 21

you weren't at a restaurant. The situation had nothing to do with you. I dont 'politely question' my kids school about situations that dont impact them, imagine if every parent stuck their oar in at every perceived slight about anything

I don't agree with this at all. The Irish lockdown was hell and the op is correct, it was harsher here than in the UK. It had had everything to do with the op and every other person because we were all affected by it. We were repeatedly told if we stopped breaking the rules the lockdowns would be shorter. But part of the reasons our lockdowns were so extended was because selfish pratts kept breaking the rules and the virus kept spreading.

If the person that called it out wasn't a customer and had no reason to interfere with the service I was receiving I would call it rude rather than smart arse

You do know that the lockdown and covid interfered with everybody in Ireland though so it did did affect the op.

Where did I say it didn't. In the analogy was it something that affected everyone?

Interesting that 50 percent of people here think op was being unreasonable. If this was over a teacher being abrasive towards a student or parent I think the results be much more on the op's side.

Or can I add that if a parent shouts at a child on mn we are so quickly to condemn the parent but with a policeman it is seen as acceptable practice. It's no wonder so much corruption happens in the law.

A light in your eyes hurts alot?

the police are often targeted so they were probably taken off guard to have someone come over to them in the dark when their backs are turned and they are literally in the middle of a search. It was never mandatory to wear masks outside.

Very odd of you

and they are literally in the middle of a search

hasn't the op said a zillion times now the search had being conducted and the homeless man had departed?

I wouldn't like having a light shone in my eyes either, but I suppose they wanted to take a good look at you to find out why you were sitting in a park in the dark in January in the middle of a pandemic lockdown.

After 2 years I wouldn't still be thinking about it though. Sometimes you have to just mutter "jumped up arseholes" and then move on with your life.

A light in your eyes hurts alot

It does in fairness. Sounds a bit of a dick move.

the police are often targeted

as are teachers and parents but mn hace a zero tolerance to them shouting or being aggressive.

A light in your eyes hurts a lot?

In fairness yes, it would hurt if the OP were sitting out in the dark and her eyes had adapted. And the guards would have known this, and probably were being a bit ruder than they would have been if they met the OP in another environment.

There was no need for the torch in my eyes as it was twilight and the park was in a very lit up area, I was sitting pretty much directly under a bright street light. It was a very urbanized park.

Well if the area was well lit and still twilight then I am surprised the light from the torch hurt so much - that usually only happens when it is dark.

You were fucking interfering!! No wonder you were telt!! Police have a hard enough job without idiots like you sticking their beaks in