The Garda Commissioner ( ga, Coimisinéir an Gharda Síochána) – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána – is the head of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gove ...

, the national police force of the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

. The Garda Commissioner is appointed by the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The govern ...

(Cabinet), on the recommendation of the

Minister for Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Justi ...

. The Commissioner reports to the Minister for Justice, in charge of the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

, 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 the Republic of Ireland's domestic state security apparatus. The current Garda Commissioner is Drew Harris, former Deputy Chief Constable of the

PSNI The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ') is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...

, who took office on 3 September 2018.

History

Michael Staines Michael Joseph Staines (1 May 1885 – 26 October 1955) was an Irish republican, politician and police commissioner. He was born in Newport, County Mayo, his mother Margaret's home village, and where his father Edward was serving as a Royal Iri ...

became the first Garda Commissioner in February 1922, when the force was founded as the Civic Guard. 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 the Republic of Ireland.

Nóirín O'Sullivan Nóirín O'Sullivan (born 3 November 1960) is an Irish Garda who has served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Europe at the International Association of Chiefs of Police since October 2017. She previously served as Garda Commissioner fro ...

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.

Office of the Garda Commissioner

The Garda Commissioner sits at Garda Headquarters,

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and t ...

, Dublin 8 and is supported by a senior management team consisting of two Deputy Commissioners, a Chief Administrative Officer and eight Assistant Commissioners. 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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garda Commissioner

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

1922 establishments in Ireland Department of Justice (Ireland)

History

Office of the Garda Commissioner

List of Garda Commissioners

See also

References