Garda Commissioner

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 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. 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]

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

  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.