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Updated 1.32 pm
THE POLICING AUTHORITY is said to be searching the “widest possible pool of high calibre candidates” for the €250,000-a-year Garda Commissioner job.
The role was advertised today on publicjobs.ie and states that potential candidates don’t need any policing experience for the top job.
According to the ad, An Garda Síochána is ”growing, reforming and changing”.
“For the right candidate, this is a rare opportunity to lead and develop the Irish police service in the context of the Irish Government’s commitment to a major modernisation programme and increase in the organisation‟s numbers by up to 30% by 2021.
Driving and embedding reform, building managerial capacity and enhancing governance, performance, risk management and accountability, will be priorities for the successful candidate. While experience in a policing role is desirable, it is not essential.
According to the information booklet attached to the job advertisement, An Garda Síochána “enjoys strong community support and has a record of success across the policing and security functions for the State”.
“There is strong political commitment to this reform agenda and the government has committed the provision of support which includes increasing the workforce to 21,000 (15,000 Garda members, 2,000 reserves and 4,000 civilian staff) by 2021. A substantial capital envelope for technology and equipment has also been provided.”
The Policing Authority will nominate the successful candidate and the appointment will be made by the government.
Speaking today after the job was advertised, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said that the jobs is an “extremely challenging” one.
“The overriding concern of all stakeholders has been to ensure that this process is designed to attract the widest possible pool of high calibre candidates, so that whoever is selected and nominated by the authority for appointment by government is tested against a strong field,” the minister said.
The last Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan announced her retirement from the Gardaí in September following months of calls from the opposition for her resignation.
She was asked to resign because of a number of scandals that rocked the force last year, including more revelations relating to the Maurice McCabe saga; the inflated number of breath tests over a number of years; and the alleged misuse of funds at the Garda college in Templemore.
O’Sullivan was appointed as Garda Commissioner in November 2014, after the previous commissioner Martin Callinan stepped down after describing Garda whistleblowers’ allegations as “disgusting”.
Sinn Féin’s justice spokesperson Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD said today the next appointment is “potentially one of the most historic” in the history of the force.
“I am conscious that this appointment is happening while the commission on the future of policing process is ongoing, and has not concluded,” Ó Laoghaire said.
A new commissioner would be entering this position potentially blind as to what changes will take place to the force, and to their role in particular, following the commission reporting.
“The better scenario would be a commissioner coming in with knowledge of the radical reforms that they will have to implement.”
Dónall Ó Cualáin has been appointed Acting Garda Commissioner until a replacement for O’Sullivan has been found.
- With reporting by Rónán Duffy
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Nice of him to bring his mother along for the day out!
@Marcus Philpott: That’s ‘hilarious’
@Marcus Philpott: No, that’s his teacher
@Marcus Philpott: very witty, nearly choked on my bacon and egg!!…
@Marcus Philpott: very witty, nearly choked on my bacon and egg!!
@Tweety McTweeter: Of course we all know that she’s his wife but your remark about her being Macron’s “teacher” is pretty close to home.
@Marcus Philpott: I assume you made the same remark about Trump and his wife?
The Donald marries a woman 30 years younger and that’s ok, Macron marries a woman 20 older and it’s scandalous. The Donald with zero political experience and is elected President of the US and it’s brilliant. Macron who stands for election for the first time and gets elected is the Devil incarnate. Got to love the hypocrisy of some commentators on here.
@Mick Jordan: hes an investment banker hes not better than donald.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: And the Donald is a Property Speculator and a Bankrupt.
@Mick Jordan: Donald marrying Melania wasn’t OK in the eyes of Trumps critics hence why it is being thrown back in Macron’s face. FYI Macron married the woman who groomed him as a child.
So Trump supporters claiming the higher moral ground is all BS then!
@Marcus Philpott: Actually it was him that persued her for several years after leaving school. But don’t let the truth stand in the way.
@Mick Jordan: No, I am pretty sure we heard a load of snarky comments about the age disparity between Donald and Meliana too, as well as other disparaging remarks that referenced her career and nationality. So yeah, you’re wrong about that bud.
@Mick Jordan: Marcus will be back in a few minutes. He’s just commenting on another thread as Jack Cassidy.
@Mick Jordan: Melania was 28 when they met. Macron was half that age.
@Mick Jordan: To be honest I’m a bit creeped out by Macrons wife. She met him first when she taught at his secondary school when he was 15 and she was 39. Apparently they didn’t have sexual relations but his family sent him away to break up the relationship. She divorced her husband and married him later on. It could be true love but if it had been a 39 year old male teacher with a 15 year old girl there would be uproar wouldn’t there ? She shouldn’t have been messing around with a 15 year old in my opinion.
@Catherine Sims: she never messed around with a 15 year old. You have an interesting imagination.
Another childless European leader. They care less about what sort of country is being left to future generations. Troubling.
@Marcus Philpott: We should really elect that unemployed mum with 19 kids from the Daily Mail. She’ll know what to do.
@Marcus Philpott: yeah just like Mrs May, clueless.
@Marcus Philpott: Are you Linn Wiberg’s boyfriend?
http://radarcollective.com/linnwiberg/page/47/
A great day for the Muslim population of Europe.
I wouldn’t have voted for him but best of luck anyways
How long will Macron be able to stick to his Presidential duties for the next five years? Something about his character & his lack of political experience may test his ability to lead France back to what it was once before or I might be wrong…so good luck to Macron as he’ll need loads of it, given the current state of his basket-case of a country.
@John Flanagan: and I’m sure you had similar concerns about Trumps lack of experience and character. Its definitely not a case of you just disagreeing with Macron ideologically.
So, two years experience as minister of the economy doesn’t count?
Ahh the bitterness of those who backed the loser of the French election. They are still crying “Doom, Doom, the end of the World is nigh”.
@Mick Jordan: you do realise they put an investment banker in power. Surely has no conflicts. Its not lile his kinda didnt cause a recession.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: He worked for a bank several years ago. So how is that any worse than a Property Speculator or a Professional Politician or a Lawyer or a School Teacher.
@Mick Jordan: Sure Mick you know well there is a /pol/ delegation here on the journal all the time.
Sacré bleu wouldn’t fancy that job…
Brigitte in baby blue just like Melania Trump at Donald’s inauguration
@Dolly White: Melania invented the colour blue? That’s amazing!!!
Jackie O went to the future and stole it from her, you know.
Not your grab by the p…y type
More like your put milk in first type
I might be wrong but I have the feeling he is the right person to the economy of the EU (27 countries )
@Giovanni Casermaggio: I agree
Did Francois leave the Vespa and helmet at the Palace for Emmanuel, in case he needs to pop into town for crumpets.
@Rory J Leonard: indeed forgot about that. could come in very handy!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10571277/Photographer-reveals-how-he-tracked-down-Francois-Hollande-and-lover-Julie-Gayet.html
@Mick Jordan: no, I am pretty sure I heard snarky comments about that too. So yeah, you’re wrong.
@Daniel Doran: Worng that the so called Alt Right are claiming the higher moral ground. Nah I don’t think so.
A put milk into the p…y before grabbing it type?
Trés vite!
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