Garda Commissioner

Head of the Garda Síochána

Garda Commissioner

Incumbent
Drew Harris

since 3 September 2018

Member of| National Security Committee
Reports to| Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Nominator| Minister for Justice
Appointer| Government of Ireland
Term length| 5 years
Inaugural holder| Michael Staines
Formation| February 1922
Deputy| Deputy Commissioner Operations
Salary| €250,000[1]
Garda Commissioner epaulette

The Garda Commissioner (Irish: Coimisinéir na nGardaí) – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána (Irish: Coimisinéir an Gharda 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, Home Affairs and Migration. The Commissioner reports to the Minister for Justice, in charge of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, 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]

The current Garda Commissioner is Drew Harris, former Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI, who took office on 3 September 2018.[1] On 29 July 2025, the Government of Ireland appointed serving Deputy Commissioner, Justin Kelly, to succeed Harris as Commissioner upon Harris's retirement on 1 September 2025.[3][4][5]

## History

[edit]

> 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[6]

Michael Staines became the first Garda Commissioner in February 1922, when the force was founded as the Civic Guard.[7]

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.[8]

Nóirín O'Sullivan became the first woman to lead the force on her appointment in November 2014, having served as the acting Garda Commissioner from March 2014.[9]

Drew Harris became the first Commissioner to be selected from outside An Garda Síochána in June 2018, having served as Deputy Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland since October 2014.[10]

## Office of the Garda Commissioner

[edit]

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.[11] 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 of 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

[edit]

Name  | Term of office  | Reason

|
|

Michael Staines | February 1922 | September 1922 | resigned following Civic Guard Mutiny
Patrick Brennan | May 1922 | September 1922 | (unofficial – elected by mutineers during Civic Guard Mutiny)
Eoin O'Duffy | September 1922 | February 1933 | dismissed for encouraging a military coup
Eamon Broy | February 1933 | June 1938 | retired
Michael Kinnane | June 1938 | July 1952 | died
Daniel Costigan | July 1952 | February 1965 | resigned
William P. Quinn | February 1965 | March 1967 | retired
Patrick Carroll | March 1967 | September 1968 | retired
Michael Wymes | September 1968 | January 1973 | retired
Patrick Malone | January 1973 | September 1975 | retired
Edmund Garvey | September 1975 | January 1978 | replaced (lost government confidence)[12]
Patrick McLaughlin | January 1978 | January 1983 | retired (wiretap scandal)
Lawrence Wren | February 1983 | November 1987 | retired
Eamonn Doherty | November 1987 | December 1988 | retired
Eugene Crowley | December 1988 | January 1991 | retired
Patrick Culligan | January 1991 | July 1996 | retired
Patrick Byrne | July 1996 | July 2003 | retired
Noel Conroy | July 2003 | November 2007 | retired
Fachtna Murphy | November 2007 | December 2010 | retired
Martin Callinan | December 2010 | March 2014 | resigned (penalty points & GSOC bugging scandal)
Nóirín O'Sullivan | March 2014 (acting)
November 2014 (permanent)[13] | September 2017 | retired (whistleblower scandal & breath test scandal)
Dónall Ó Cualáin | September 2017 (acting) | September 2018 | Acting Commissioner
Drew Harris | September 2018 | Incumbent |

## See also

[edit]

* Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (Ireland)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "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. ^ Reynolds, Paul (29 July 2025). "Justin Kelly appointed as new Garda Commissioner". Retrieved 29 July 2025.
4. ^ Lally, Conor and Clarke, Vivienne. "Justin Kelly named as new Garda Commissioner to succeed Drew Harris". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 July 2025.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. ^ https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/press-releases/new-garda-commissioner-announced-by-minister-jim-ocallaghan/
6. ^ "Member States / Ireland". Europol. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
7. ^ 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.
8. ^ "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.
9. ^ "Garda has first female commissioner". Irish Independent. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
10. ^ "PSNI deputy chief Drew Harris appointed as Garda Commissioner". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
11. ^ "Senior Leadership Team - Garda". www.garda.ie. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
12. ^ Browne, Vincent. "Fingerprint Scandal: New Developments". magill.ie. Magill. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
13. ^ "Nóirín O'Sullivan is the new Garda Commissioner". Journal. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 28 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.

* v
* t
* e

Garda Síochána

Organised &
Serious Crime|

* National Bureau of Criminal Investigation
* Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau
* National Economic Crime Bureau
* National Cyber Crime Bureau
* National Immigration Bureau
* National Protective Services Bureau
* Technical Bureau
* Operational Support (Air Support Unit, Water Unit, Dog Unit, Mounted Unit)
* Criminal Assets Bureau

Security and
Intelligence|

* National Surveillance Unit
* Special Detective Unit
* Counter-Terrorism International
* Witness Security Programme

Traffic|

* National Roads Policing Bureau
* Vehicles

Other units / structure|

* Garda Síochána College
* Emergency Response Unit
* Armed Support Units
* Public Order Units
* List of districts
* Garda Síochána Reserve
* Garda Band

Scandals|

* Irish Phone Tapping Scandal (1982)
* "Rape Tape" Scandal (2011)
* Penalty Points Scandal (2012)
* Phone recordings scandal (2014)
* Whistleblower scandal (2014)
* GSOC bugging scandal (2014)

Other|

* Garda Commissioner
* PULSE
* Gardaí killed in the line of duty
* Scott Medal
* Garda Museum
* Garda College Museum and Visitor Centre
* Garda ar Lár
* James "Lugs" Branigan
* Death of Terence Wheelock (2005)
* Death of George Nkencho

Oversight|

* Fiosrú – the Office of the Police Ombudsman
* Policing and Community Safety Authority

Associated bodies|

* Garda Representative Association
* Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors
* Garda GAA

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