Garda Commissioner

The Garda Commissioner (Irish: Coimisinéir an Gharda Síochána) – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána – is the head of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The Garda Commissioner is appointed by the Government of Ireland (Cabinet), on the recommendation of the Minister for Justice. The Commissioner reports to the Minister for Justice, in charge of the Department of Justice, of which the Garda Síochána is a state agency. The Garda Commissioner sits on the Irish Government's National Security Committee (NSC), and is responsible for Ireland's domestic state security apparatus.[2]

Garda Commissioner
Incumbent
Drew Harris
since 3 September 2018
Member ofNational Security Committee
Reports toMinister for Justice
NominatorMinister for Justice
AppointerGovernment of Ireland
Term length5 years
Inaugural holderMichael Staines
FormationFebruary 1922
DeputyDeputy Commissioner Operations
Salary€250,000[1]

The current Garda Commissioner is Drew Harris, former Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI, who took office on 3 September 2018.[1]

History

The Garda Síochána will succeed not by force of arms or numbers, but on their moral authority as servants of the people.

— Inaugural Garda Commissioner Michael Staines, 1922[3]

Michael Staines became the first Garda Commissioner in February 1922, when the force was founded as the Civic Guard.[4]

Traditionally, the Commissioner is the highest ranking police officer in the state, however the selection process for the position is now open to candidates from outside the force, outside a law enforcement agency and outside of Ireland.[5]

Nóirín O'Sullivan made history in becoming the first woman to lead the force when she was appointed in November 2014, having already served as the acting Garda Commissioner since March 2014.[6]

Office of the Garda Commissioner

The Garda Commissioner sits at Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin 8 and is supported by a senior management team consisting of two Deputy Commissioners, a Chief Administrative Officer and eight Assistant Commissioners.[7] There are also a number of Executive Directors, each with a different area of responsibility.

  • Deputy Commissioner Policing & Security
  • Deputy Commissioner Governance & Strategy
  • Chief Administrative Officer
  • Assistant Commissioner Crime and Security Intelligence Service
  • Assistant Commissioner Organised & Serious Crime
  • Assistant Commissioner Roads Policing & Community Engagement
  • Assistant Commissioner Governance and Accountability
  • Assistant Commissioner Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR)
  • Assistant Commissioner Eastern Region
  • Assistant Commissioner North Western Region
  • Assistant Commissioner Southern Region
  • Executive Director Chief Information Officer
  • Executive Director Finance and Services
  • Executive Director Human Resources and People Development
  • Executive Director Legal and Compliance
  • Executive Director Strategy and Transformation
  • Executive Director Executive Support & Corporate Services
  • Director of Communications
  • Garda Chief Medical Officer

List of Garda Commissioners
Name Term of office Reason
Michael StainesFebruary 1922September 1922resigned following Civic Guard Mutiny
Patrick BrennanMay 1922September 1922(unofficial – elected by mutineers during Civic Guard Mutiny)
Eoin O'DuffySeptember 1922February 1933dismissed for encouraging a military coup
Eamon BroyFebruary 1933June 1938retired
Michael KinnaneJune 1938July 1952died
Daniel CostiganJuly 1952February 1965resigned
William P. QuinnFebruary 1965March 1967retired
Patrick CarrollMarch 1967September 1968retired
Michael WymesSeptember 1968January 1973retired
Patrick MaloneJanuary 1973September 1975retired
Edmund GarveySeptember 1975January 1978replaced (lost government confidence)[8]
Patrick McLaughlinJanuary 1978January 1983retired (wiretap scandal)
Lawrence WrenFebruary 1983November 1987retired
Eamonn DohertyNovember 1987December 1988retired
Eugene CrowleyDecember 1988January 1991retired
Patrick CulliganJanuary 1991July 1996retired
Patrick ByrneJuly 1996July 2003retired
Noel ConroyJuly 2003November 2007retired
Fachtna MurphyNovember 2007December 2010retired
Martin CallinanDecember 2010March 2014resigned (penalty points & GSOC bugging scandal)
Nóirín O'SullivanMarch 2014 (acting)
November 2014 (permanent)[9]		September 2017retired (whistleblower scandal & breath test scandal)
Dónall Ó CualáinSeptember 2017 (acting)September 2018Acting Commissioner
Drew HarrisSeptember 2018Incumbent

See also

References
  1. "PSNI officer Drew Harris named as new Garda Commissioner". RTÉ News. 26 June 2018. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  2. Cusack, Jim (10 August 2014). "Employing non-Irish Commissioner is 'madness' say senior gardai". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  3. "Member States / Ireland". Europol. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  4. O'Donnell, Ian (14 November 2014). "Urgent action needed to restore force's moral authority". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  5. "Commencement of open recruitment process for post of Garda Commissioner". Department of Justice. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  6. "Garda has first female commissioner". Irish Independent. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  7. "Senior Leadership Team - Garda". www.garda.ie. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  8. Browne, Vincent. "Fingerprint Scandal: New Developments". magill.ie. Magill. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  9. "Nóirín O'Sullivan is the new Garda Commissioner". Journal. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 28 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
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