We’re too soft - Protecting officials

There are very few topics of conversation, especially between the generations, guaranteed to cause young eyes to glaze over as quickly as the collapse in respect for society’s authority figures.

The idea that a guard, a teacher, a nurse, or, say, a bus driver should be treated with a respect that acknowledges that they play a role sanctioned by the state in pursuit of the common good seems as quaint as the idea of pre-marital celibacy.

That unfortunate departure from what was not so very long ago the unquestioned norm seems to have reached

a sorry pass with the announcement that Meath County Council has issued body cams to some waste enforcement officers to protect them from threats and intimidation from those suspected of having broken littering laws.

Drones are used to survey sites and where it’s considered too dangerous for an inspector to go. Legislation was recently enacted to allow the courts access to offenders’ income. This seems a perfect example of how that legislation might be used.

Let’s stand up for our officials facing down these thugs.