Gareth O'Callaghan: Society glorifies criminals while our gardaí are given no respect

'It’s becoming more difficult these days for a man or a woman to be the garda they thought they could be when they first joined'

We’ve reached a low point in our cultural preferences when we think the television show Love/Hate is worthy of awards, considering it glorifies crime and evil. 

Once upon a time when I was a boy, a garda called Pat Gibbon arrived in our area. He became known as Columbo, after the popular television police character. He had wavy brown hair and a slanted eye, just like Peter Falk.

Within weeks, he had become something of an enigma. You heard him before you saw him, long strides, and fists always clenched by his side. If he was smiling, it was a good day; if he threw that I’ll-have-you-for-lunch look, you stayed out of his way.