Crisis - What Crisis - Appointing New Commissioner - Just can't get it right

FAILING TO LEARN THE LESSONS OF 2018

The process currently adopted for the appointment of the next Garda Commissioner would not be followed in any other jurisdiction, particularly Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom our nearest neighbour. The Northern Ireland panel even included Sinn Féin member Gerry Kelly fully in the public view. This was the policy adopted when Jon Boutcher was appointed Chief Constable PSNI in 2023. This was an open transparent process.What is the matter with us? Failure has been the bye word in previous competitions. Previously there was failure to  select Deputy Commissioners.

Now it appears that there are only two candidates, because of the draconian tax provision which is both counterproductive and discriminatory. Clearly this is not optimum situation which the government should rectify urgently. Minister Jim O’Callaghan provides a different political view, when he says he will not recommend a candidate with no policing experience for appointment as Commissioner.

 The stark message is that the Uniform Policing Service of An Garda Síochána is an a very poor state after seven years of the current regime.

In the Republic we pride ourselves as being open and democratic and self-evidently the appointment process for the next Garda Commissioner should reflect those values. It should not be a secretive closed process which does little to inspire public confidence or indeed confidence within the Force itself. PublicJobs.ie have refused to identify this group.

Agree or Disagree - Hard Questions that require Answers in real time

This is precisely which happened in 2018. That board had no domestic policing experience and they settled for two British Chief Constables for the policing and security experience relative to this country. There was no advanced vetting of the candidates. The fact the commissioner would head the State Security  system was ignored. No other State would adopt his approach; it would be considered unthinkable.

This is a welcome statement from the Minister but nuanced, one hopes he understands that appointing non-nationals or visiting police officers is inappropriate.  We can and should do much better for the future. Obviously, lessons should have been learned and the future brighter.

Rumour has it that Mr. Harris is now sitting on another Interview Board considering appointments to the rank of Assistant Commissioner. Ah Well - Words Fail.

Suitability and Performance

By any objective criteria the appointment of a British police officer to head the Policing and Security service of this State waas bizarre. This was exacerbated by the fact that Mr. Harris was intimately involved with the UK Security appartus and directly involved in the resolution of Legacy Issues in Northern Ireland. Notwithstanding that impediment it is entirely fair to judge him on his performance as a Police leader and in particular his unfounded faith in the so called Operating Model. This has been an unmitigated disaster and still government doggedly ploughed on with this man, granting him a two years extension to his contract and a further three months at the end of this time. Please add in the fact he was paid handsomely for his services €291,249.00 p.a, and faciliated with a fine house at an undisclosed rent and, oh yes provided with an armed escort 24 x 7 which also accompanied to his own residence in Northern Ireland. In the interim he has effectively demolished the uniform policing service of the State.

On the Security front he has publicly said that he cannot share his prior knowledge of any atrocities with the force he has headed for seven long years. A case in point relates to the abduction and murder of County Louth farmer Tom Oliver in 1991.

Are we really serious with this proposition?

Objectively it will take three to five years to undo the harm caused to the Uniformed Irish Policing service even if the Force is led down a different path now.