Garda Síochána
Encyclopedia
(ˈɡaːrd̪ə ˈʃiːxaːn̪ˠə n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ; Irish
for "Guard of the Peace of Ireland"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí ("Guardians"), is the police force
of Ireland
. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government
. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park
in Dublin.
name of the force was the Civic Guard, but this title is no longer used. Garda Síochána na hÉireann is usually rendered as the "Guard of the Peace of Ireland" or the "Guardians of the Peace (of Ireland)".
The full official title of the force is rarely used in speech. How it is referred to depends on the register
of the speaker. It is known, in decreasing order of formality, as ( pronounced [ən]); the ; the (in the preceding names, "guard" is a collective noun, like police); the (ˈɡaːɾˠd̪ˠiː [GAR-DEE]; "guards", plural); or the Guards.
An individual officer is also called a (plural ), or, informally, a guard. A police station
is called a station. is also the lowest rank within the force, also used as a title (e.g. " John Murphy", analogous to the British term "constable
" or the American "officer
" ("deputy/trooper
/etc."). "Guard" is the most common form of address used by members of the public speaking to a garda on duty. A female officer was once officially referred to as a ([ˈbˠanˌɣaːɾˠd̪ˠə]; "female guard"; plural ). This term was abolished in 1990, but is still used colloquially in place of the now gender-neutral
.
The force is headed by the Commissioner
. His immediate subordinates are two Deputy Commissioners – in charge of "Operations" and "Strategy and Change Management", respectively – and a Chief Administrative Officer with responsibility for resource management (personnel, finance, ICT and accommodation). There are twelve Assistant Commissioners: one for each of the six geographical Regions, and the remainder dealing with various national support functions. At an equivalent or near-equivalent level to the Assistant Commissioners are the positions of Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director of ICT and Executive Director of Finance.
The six geographical "Assistant Commissioners" command the six " Force Regions", which are currently:
Directly subordinate to the Assistant Commissioners are approximately 50 Chief Superintendent
s, about half of whom supervise what are called Divisions
. Each Division contains a number of Districts, each commanded by a Superintendent
assisted by a team of Inspector
s. Each District contains a number of Subdistricts, which are usually commanded by Sergeant
s.
Typically each Subdistrict contains only one Garda station
. A different number of are based at each station depending on its importance. Most of these stations employ the basic rank of , which was referred to as the rank of Guard until 1972. The most junior members of the force are students, whose duties can vary depending on their training progress. They are often bestowed with clerical duties, as part of their extra curriculum studies.
The Garda organisation also has over 2,500 non officer support staff encompassing a diverse range of areas such as human resources, occupational health services, finance and procurement, internal audit, IT and telecommunications, accommodation and fleet management, scenes-of-crime support, research and analysis, training and general administration. The figure also includes industrial staff such as traffic wardens, drivers and cleaners. It is ongoing government policy to bring the level of non officer support in the organisation up to international standards – thus enhancing its capacity and expertise in a range of specialist and administrative functions, and releasing more of its police officers for core operational duties.
to assist the force in performing its functions, and supplement the work of members of the .
The intent of the Reserve is "to be a source of local strength and knowledge". Reserve members are to carry out duties defined by the Commissioner and sanctioned by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. With reduced training, these duties and powers must be operated under the supervision of regular members of the Force, and are also limited from those of regular members.
As of November 2010 there are 850 graduated Reserve, and another 148 in further training, the first batch of 36 Garda Reserves graduated on 15 December 2006 at the Garda College
, in Templemore
.
s. It is a tradition of the service that standard policing should be carried out in both rural and urban areas by uniformed officers equipped only with a wooden truncheon
. From March 2007 all new Gardaí have been issued with ASP
extendable batons, with existing members to be trained in their use as training allows. In addition, the Garda Commissioner announced in October 2008 that all Gardaí are to be issued with Pepper Spray
. As of December 2009, all Gardaí have been trained and issued with this Spray.
The force, when originally created, was armed, but the Provisional Government reversed the decision and reconstituted the force as an unarmed police force. This was in contrast to the attitude of the British Dublin Castle
administration, which refused appeals from the Royal Irish Constabulary
that the force be disarmed. In the words of first Commissioner, Michael Staines
, TD
:
According to Tom Garvin
such a decision gave the new force a cultural ace: "the taboo on killing unarmed men and women who could not reasonably be seen as spies and informers."
Although a primarily unarmed force, certain units of the Gardaí, such as detective units, the regional support units, and the Emergency Response Unit are commissioned to carry firearms. The original stock of Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolvers are in the process of being replaced by the Sig Sauer P226 and Walther P99
C semi-automatic pistols. Regional Support Units are equipped with Heckler & Koch MP7
sub-machine guns in addition to issue pistols and non-lethal weapons such as taser
s and pepper spray
. They serve as a first response to back up regular Garda officers in critical situations due to a rise of incidents that involve firearm use. In order to be issued with a firearm, or to carry a firearm whilst on duty, a member must be in possession of a valid gun card.
pattern. The crest is also present on vehicles. An Garda Síochána also use unmarked patrol cars in their duties and use of such vehicles is increasing becoming a matter of cost rather than the need to hide the vehicles, as the amendments to the exterior of the vehicle such as LED strobes, Tetra
aerials and bumper LEDs in particular are extremely visible.
The Civic Guard
was formed by the Provisional Government in February 1922 to take over the responsibility of policing the fledgling Irish Free State
. It replaced the Royal Irish Constabulary
(RIC) and the Irish Republican Police
of 1919–22. In August 1922 the force accompanied Michael Collins
when he met the Lord Lieutenant
in Dublin Castle
.
The Garda Síochána (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923 enacted after the creation of the Irish Free State on 8 August 1923, provided for the creation of "a force of police to be called and known as 'The . Under section 22, The Civic Guard were deemed to have been established under and to be governed by the Act. The law therefore effectively renamed the existing force.
During the Civil War of 1922–23, the new Free State set up the Criminal Investigation Department
as an armed, plain-clothed counter-insurgency unit. It was disbanded after the end of the war in October 1923 and elements of it were absorbed into the Dublin Metropolitan Police
.
In Dublin, policing remained the responsibility of the Dublin Metropolitan Police
(DMP, founded 1836) until it merged with the in 1925. Since then the has been the only police force in the state now known as the Republic of Ireland
, with the exception of the Military Police
within the Irish Defence Forces
, the Airport Police Service, and Dublin Port and Dún Laoghaire
Harbour police forces.
for Bravery is the highest honour for bravery and valour awarded to a member of the Garda Síochána. The first medals were funded by Colonel Walter Scott, an honorary Commissioner of the New York Police Department. The first recipient of the Scott Medal was Pat Malone of St. Luke's Cork City who – as an unarmed – disarmed Tomás Óg Mac Curtain (the son of Tomás Mac Curtain
).
To mark the United States
link, the American English
spelling of valor is used on the medal. The Commissioner chooses the recipients of the medal, which is presented by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
In 2000, Anne McCabe – the widow of Garda Jerry McCabe
, who was killed by armed Provisional IRA
bank robbers – accepted the Scott Medal for Bravery that had been awarded posthumously to her husband.
The Irish Republican Police
had at least one member killed by the RIC 21 July 1920.
The Civic Guard had one killed by accident 22 September 1922 & another was killed March 1923 by Frank Teeling
. Likewise 4 members of the Oriel House
Criminal Investigation Department
were killed/Died of wounds during the Irish Civil War
. The Roll of Honor lists 31 members of the killed between 1922 and 1999. (See Below)
, who was a Pro-Treaty
member of , held office for only eight months. It was his successors, Eoin O'Duffy
and Éamon Broy
, who played a central role in the development of the force. O'Duffy was Commissioner in the early years of the force when to many people's surprise the viability of an unarmed police force was established. O'Duffy later became a short-lived political leader of the quasi-fascist Blueshirts before heading to Spain
to fight alongside Francisco Franco
's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War
. Broy had greatly assisted the Irish Republican Army
(IRA) during the Anglo-Irish War, while serving with the Dublin Metropolitan Police
(DMP). Broy's fame grew in the 1990s when he featured in the film Michael Collins
, in which it was misleadingly suggested that he had been murdered by the British
during the War of Independence, when in reality he lived for decades and headed the from 1933 to 1938. Broy was followed by Commissioners Michael Kinnane (1938–52) and Daniel Costigan (1952–65). The first Commissioner to rise from the rank of ordinary Garda was William P. Quinn, who was appointed in February 1965.
One later Commissioner, Edmund Garvey, was sacked by the government of Jack Lynch
in 1978 after it had lost confidence in him. Garvey won "unfair dismissal" legal proceedings against the government, which was upheld in the Irish Supreme Court This outcome required the passing of the Act 1979 to retrospectively validate the actions of Garvey's successor since he had become Commissioner. Garvey's successor, Patrick McLaughlin, was forced to resign along with his deputy in 1983 over his peripheral involvement in a political scandal. The current Commissioner, since December 2010, is Martin Callinan.
had the power of arrest and wore uniform, and were allowed to leave the reserve or sign-up as full members of the at the end of the war before the reserve was disbanded. The reserve was established by the Emergency Powers (Temporary Special Police Force) Order, 1939.
The Local Security Force (LSF) did not have the power of arrest, and part of the reserve was soon incorporated into the Irish Army Reserve
under the command of the Irish Army
.
peace-keeping duties. Its first such mission was a 50 strong contingent sent to Namibia
. Since then the force has acted in Angola
, Cambodia
, Cyprus
, Mozambique
, South Africa
and the former Yugoslavia
. The force's first fatality whilst working abroad was Sergeant Paul M. Reid, who was fatally injured while on duty with the United Nations UNPROFOR at "Sniper's Alley" in Sarajevo
on 18 May 1995.
Members of the also serve in the Embassies of Ireland in London
, The Hague
, Madrid
and Paris
. Members are also seconded to Europol
in The Hague, Holland and Interpol
in Lyon, France. There are also many members working directly for UN and European agencies such as the War Crimes Tribunal.
officers also co-operate with members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland
to combat cross-border crime. They have also accompanied politicians from the Republic, such as the President
on visits to Northern Ireland
.
Under an agreement with the British Government and the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea, the and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland
are allowed to inspect the Sellafield
nuclear facility in Cumbria
, England
.
Some incidents involving the have attracted wide scale attention—such as those that led to the Morris
and Barr Tribunal
s—and have resulted in broad reform initiatives. Other reports suggest that people who frequent gay and lesbian establishments feel that the are not doing enough to tackle reported homophobic crime in Ireland. In 2007 there was also some debate when a potential Sikh
applicant of the Garda Reserve requested that he be allowed wear a turban
in place of a standard uniform cap. Ultimately the provision was not made as it was stated that the force had the same uniform requirements for all members.
case was one of the first public inquiries into mishandling of a investigation. Later, in the 1980s, the Ferns Report
(an inquiry into allegations of clerical sexual abuse) described as "wholly inadequate" the handling of one of eight formal complaints made to Wexford
gardaí , but noted that the remaining formal complaints were handled in an "effective, professional and sensitive" manner.
The Gardaí were also criticised in the Murphy Report
in relation to the handing over of the case of Fr. Edmondus (a pseudonym) to Archbishop McQuaid
by Commissioner Costigan. Some very senior Gardaí were criticised for regarding priests as being outside their remit in 1960. On November 26, 2009, then Commissioner Fachtna Murphy
apologised for the failure of An Garda Siochána to protect victims of child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. He said that inappropriate relationships and contacts between gardaí and the Dublin Archdiocese had taken place at a time of undue or misguided deference to religious authorities and that these were incompatible with any investigation. On 27 November 2009 he announced that a senior investigator would examine the findings in the report.
The Gardaí were criticised by the commission of investigation into the Dean Lyons case for their handling of the investigation into the Grangegorman killings
. In his report, George Birmingham
said that the Gardaí had used leading questions in their interviews with Lyons, and had failed to act on a suspicion that Lyons' confession was unreliable. For a period, the gardaí involved in the case failed to act on the knowledge that another man, Mark Nash, had confessed to the crime. They were also criticised for failing to keep adequate records of their interviews with Lyons.
. This became the subject of a judicial inquiry: the Morris Tribunal
. The tribunal found that some gardaí based in County Donegal had invented a Provisional IRA
informer, made bombs and claimed credit for locating them, and attempted to frame Raphoe
publican Frank McBrearty Junior for murder the latter case involving a €1.5m settlement with the State. In a report to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Morris Tribunal expressed grave concern about "organised insubordination" within the force that "proper discipline has been lost from ", suggesting that a few mischief-makers abused their positions within the and used the disciplinary process to damage the force. The tribunal also expressed concern that recruits were brought into an undisciplined culture that had the potential to do great damage in the longer term, and warned that a "terrible and costly" waste of talent would occur if the situation continued. These scandals damaged the reputation and standing of the force in County Donegal
.
On 20 April 2000, members of the Emergency Response Unit
shot dead, from behind, 27-year-old John Carthy
at the end of a 25-hour siege as he left his home in Abbeylara
, County Longford
with a loaded shotgun in his hands. There were allegations made of inappropriate handling of the situation and of the overuse of armed force by the . This led to a inquiry, and subsequently, a Tribunal of Inquiry
under the Chairmanship of Mr Justice Robert Barr. This inquiry was established on 1 July 2002, and the hearing of evidence was completed on 7 December 2004. The final report was expected within six months, but publication of the report was delayed until 20 July 2006. The official findings of the tribunal were that Sgt Michael Jackson made 14 mistakes in his role as negotiator during the siege, and that he failed to make real efforts to achieve resolution during the armed stand-off. It further stated however that Sgt Jackson was limited by lack of experience and resources (psychologists, solicitors, dogs). The tribunal recommended that there be an urgent review of command structures, and that the ERU be equipped with stun guns and other non-lethal options, including "non-compliant firearms support police dogs".
The Barr tribunal further recommended a formal working arrangement between Gardaí and State psychologists, and improvements in Garda training (especially in the context of ERU in siege situations, including those with mental illness as a factor). This included a recommendation that local superintendents undergo refresher training for one week every year as scene commanders and a similar refresher course for ERU officers of the rank of inspector or superintendent. Commissioner Conroy, in a letter to the family of John Carthy, stated that the force was "truly apologetic" for his death. Former Superintendent Joe Shelley, whose failure to interview John Carthy
was cited in the Barr Tribunal
Report as "extraordinary", and who was also severely criticised in the Report of the Morris Tribunal
into the controversial death of Richie Barron, was awarded a top-up bonus of €110,000 when he took early retirement in July 2005. Mr Justice Morris described Shelley's probe as "prejudiced, tendentious, utterly negligent in the highest degree".
in 1976. This case eventually led to accusations that a "Heavy Gang" within the force intimidated and tortured accused. This eventually led to a Presidential
pardon
for one of the accused.
In 2004, an RTÉ
Prime Time
documentary accused elements within the of abusing their powers by physically assaulting people arrested. A retired Circuit Court
judge (W. A. Murphy) suggested that some members of the force had committed perjury
in criminal trials before him but later stated that he was misquoted, while a Minister of State
(Dick Roche
, a junior government minister) accused Gardaí in one instance of "torture". The Commissioner accused the television programme of lacking balance.
The Prime Time documentary followed footage published by the Independent Media Centre Ireland
showing scuffles between and Reclaim the Streets
demonstrators. One in this footage was later convicted of common assault
, which is a summary matter, while several other were acquitted.
, a Buncrana councillor killed in his home by members of the Ulster Defence Association
in 1991, have criticised the 's handling of the investigation and in 2005 they started a campaign for an inquiry.
The Smithwick Tribunal
is also investigating allegations of collusion following the deaths of two Royal Ulster Constabulary
officers killed by the Provisional IRA
as they returned from a meeting with the in the Republic of Ireland
following a recommendation from the Cory Collusion Inquiry
.
Protests at the proposed Royal Dutch Shell
Corrib gas refinery in Kilcommon
parish, Erris
, County Mayo
have seen a large Garda operation at its construction sites with up to 200 Gardaí involved, making it the single biggest policing operation in the country at times. By September 2008, the cost of the operation was €10 Million and is estimated to have cost €13.5 Million by the end of January 2009. This is comparable to the €20 Million budgeted for Operation Anvil, the operation targeting organised crime, criminal gangs and their associates. A section of road used by the protesters has been dubbed "the Golden Mile" by Gardaí because of the overtime
opportunities. Complaints have been made about the Garda handling of the protests and several TD
s, including former Green Party leader Trevor Sargent
have criticised the Garda's handling of the situation.
It was also stated by the tribunal Chairman, Mr Justice Morris, that the code of discipline was extremely complex and, at times, "cynically manipulated" to promote indiscipline across the force. Judicial reviews, for example, were cited as a means for delaying disciplinary action.
The fall-out from the Morris Tribunal was considerable. While fifteen members of the force were sacked between 2001 and 2006, and a further 42 resigned in lieu of dismissal in the same period, Commissioner Conroy stated that he was constrained in the responses available to deal with members whose misbehaviour is cited in public inquiries.
In addition, a four member "non officer management advisory team" was appointed in August 2006 to advise on implementing change options and addressing management and leadership challenges facing the . The advisers were also mandated to promote a culture of performance management, succession planning, recruitment of non officers with specialist expertise, and improved training. The advisory team included Senator Maurice Hayes
, Emer Daly (former director of strategic planning and risk management at Axa Insurance), Maurice Keane (former group chief executive at Bank of Ireland
), Michael Flahive (Assistant Secretary at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Dr Michael Mulreany (assistant director general at the Institute of Public Administration).
The first Chief Inspector (since July 2006), is former Commissioner of Boston Police
, Kathleen M. O'Toole
. She reports directly to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
From 2006 to 2009, O'Toole was supported by two other inspectors, Robert Olsen and Gwen M. Boniface
. Olsen was Chief of Police for 8 years of the Minneapolis Police Department. Boniface is a former Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police
, and was one of 3 female police commissioners in Canada when appointed in May 1998. She suggested that rank and file Gardaí were not equipped to perform their duties or protect themselves properly. She also suggested that routine arming may become a reality but dismissed the suggestion that this was currently being considered.
The Members of the Ombudsman Commission are: Dermot Gallagher (Chairman; former Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs), Carmel Foley (former Director of Consumer Affairs), and Conor Brady
(former Editor of The Irish Times
and author of a book on the history of the ). The Commission's first Chairman was Kevin Haugh (a High Court Judge) who died in early 2009, shortly before his term of office was to conclude.
The survey also found that 8% of people believed a Garda has acted unacceptably towards them; this rate was highest in Dublin South Central at 14%, lowest in Mayo at 2%. The most common complaint was of being disrespectful or impolite.
Pier on Easter Monday
, 1923. The first Bandmaster
was Superintendent
D.J. Delaney and he formed a céilí and pipe band within the Band. In 1938, the Dublin Metropolitan Band (based at Kevin Street
) and the Band amalgamated and were based at the Headquarters in Phoenix Park
.
The band was disbanded in 1965. However to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the it was reformed in 1972.
Besides providing music for official functions (such as Graduation Ceremonies at the Garda College) the band undertakes a community orientated programme each year performing at schools, festivals and sporting events. It has a long association with Lansdowne Road
for Rugby union
and Soccer
Internationals, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin and the Rose of Tralee
Festival.
In 1964 the band toured America
and Canada
under Superintendent
J. Moloney, and has also traveled to international events and represented the country at police festivals and concerts in Switzerland, Germany and Northern Ireland.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
for "Guard of the Peace of Ireland"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí ("Guardians"), is the police force
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
in Dublin.
Terminology
The former English languageEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
name of the force was the Civic Guard, but this title is no longer used. Garda Síochána na hÉireann is usually rendered as the "Guard of the Peace of Ireland" or the "Guardians of the Peace (of Ireland)".
The full official title of the force is rarely used in speech. How it is referred to depends on the register
Register (sociolinguistics)
In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal...
of the speaker. It is known, in decreasing order of formality, as ( pronounced [ən]); the ; the (in the preceding names, "guard" is a collective noun, like police); the (ˈɡaːɾˠd̪ˠiː [GAR-DEE]; "guards", plural); or the Guards.
An individual officer is also called a (plural ), or, informally, a guard. A police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
is called a station. is also the lowest rank within the force, also used as a title (e.g. " John Murphy", analogous to the British term "constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
" or the American "officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
" ("deputy/trooper
Trooper (police rank)
Trooper is a rank used by several civilian police forces in the United States. In its plural form, troopers, it generally refers to members of state highway patrol or state police agencies, even though those officers may not necessarily be of the rank of trooper.For example, in the Louisiana State...
/etc."). "Guard" is the most common form of address used by members of the public speaking to a garda on duty. A female officer was once officially referred to as a ([ˈbˠanˌɣaːɾˠd̪ˠə]; "female guard"; plural ). This term was abolished in 1990, but is still used colloquially in place of the now gender-neutral
Gender-neutral language
Gender-neutral language, gender-inclusive language, inclusive language, or gender neutrality is linguistic prescriptivism that aims to eliminate reference to gender in terms that describe people...
.
Organisation
| Rank | Irish name | Number of operatives (2005) |
|---|---|---|
| Commissioner | Coimisinéir | 1 |
| Deputy Commissioner/Chief Administrative Officer | Leas-Choimisinéir | 3 |
| Assistant Commissioner | Cúntóir-Choimisinéir | 13 |
| Chief Superintendent | Príomh-Cheannfort | 50 |
| Superintendent | Ceannfort | 178 |
| Inspector | Cigire | 307 |
| Sergeant | Sáirsint | 2,173 |
| Gardaí | 11,821 | |
| Reserve Gardaí | Gardaí Ionaid | 850 |
| Student | Mac Léinn Ghardaí | N/A |
The force is headed by the Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
. His immediate subordinates are two Deputy Commissioners – in charge of "Operations" and "Strategy and Change Management", respectively – and a Chief Administrative Officer with responsibility for resource management (personnel, finance, ICT and accommodation). There are twelve Assistant Commissioners: one for each of the six geographical Regions, and the remainder dealing with various national support functions. At an equivalent or near-equivalent level to the Assistant Commissioners are the positions of Chief Medical Officer, Executive Director of ICT and Executive Director of Finance.
The six geographical "Assistant Commissioners" command the six " Force Regions", which are currently:
- Dublin Metropolitan
- Eastern
- Northern
- Southern
- South-Eastern
- Western
Directly subordinate to the Assistant Commissioners are approximately 50 Chief Superintendent
Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a chief superintendent is senior to a superintendent and junior to an assistant chief constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, chief...
s, about half of whom supervise what are called Divisions
Police division
A division was the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces. In major reforms of police organisation in the 1990s divisions of many forces were restructured and retitled Basic Command Units , although some forces continue to refer to them as divisions.The...
. Each Division contains a number of Districts, each commanded by a Superintendent
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
assisted by a team of Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
s. Each District contains a number of Subdistricts, which are usually commanded by Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
s.
Typically each Subdistrict contains only one Garda station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
. A different number of are based at each station depending on its importance. Most of these stations employ the basic rank of , which was referred to as the rank of Guard until 1972. The most junior members of the force are students, whose duties can vary depending on their training progress. They are often bestowed with clerical duties, as part of their extra curriculum studies.
The Garda organisation also has over 2,500 non officer support staff encompassing a diverse range of areas such as human resources, occupational health services, finance and procurement, internal audit, IT and telecommunications, accommodation and fleet management, scenes-of-crime support, research and analysis, training and general administration. The figure also includes industrial staff such as traffic wardens, drivers and cleaners. It is ongoing government policy to bring the level of non officer support in the organisation up to international standards – thus enhancing its capacity and expertise in a range of specialist and administrative functions, and releasing more of its police officers for core operational duties.
Reserve
The Act 2005 provided for the establishment of a Garda ReserveGarda Síochána Reserve
The Garda Síochána Reserve is the volunteer reserve section of the Garda Siochana - the police force of Ireland. It was created in 2006 and the first 36 Reserves graduated on 15 December 2006 at the Garda College, in Templemore.- Establishment :...
to assist the force in performing its functions, and supplement the work of members of the .
The intent of the Reserve is "to be a source of local strength and knowledge". Reserve members are to carry out duties defined by the Commissioner and sanctioned by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. With reduced training, these duties and powers must be operated under the supervision of regular members of the Force, and are also limited from those of regular members.
As of November 2010 there are 850 graduated Reserve, and another 148 in further training, the first batch of 36 Garda Reserves graduated on 15 December 2006 at the Garda College
Garda Síochána College
Garda Síochána College is the education and training college of the Garda Síochána . It is located at McCan Barracks, Templemore, North Tipperary in Ireland. The college has been located in Templemore since 1964.-History:...
, in Templemore
Templemore
Templemore is a town in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the Roman Catholic parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea....
.
Sections
- Bureau of Fraud Investigation
- Central Vetting Unit
- Criminal Assets BureauCriminal Assets BureauThe Criminal Assets Bureau is a law enforcement agency in Ireland, the purpose of which is to recover the proceeds of organised crime. It is a division of the Garda , but reports annually to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform...
- Garda Emergency Response Unit
- Regional Support Unit
- Garda Information Services Centre
- Garda Síochána CollegeGarda Síochána CollegeGarda Síochána College is the education and training college of the Garda Síochána . It is located at McCan Barracks, Templemore, North Tipperary in Ireland. The college has been located in Templemore since 1964.-History:...
- Garda Síochána ReserveGarda Síochána ReserveThe Garda Síochána Reserve is the volunteer reserve section of the Garda Siochana - the police force of Ireland. It was created in 2006 and the first 36 Reserves graduated on 15 December 2006 at the Garda College, in Templemore.- Establishment :...
- Garda Traffic CorpsGarda Traffic CorpsThe Garda Traffic Corps is a unit of an Garda Síochána under Road Safety, Law Enforcement Branch.The Traffic Corps' main area of responsibility is ensuring the free movement of traffic and enforcement of all aspects of traffic legislation. The Traffic Corps was established in 1925 and each Garda...
- National Bureau of Criminal InvestigationNational Bureau of Criminal InvestigationThe National Bureau of Criminal Investigation , is a branch of Ireland's national police force, An Garda Síochána. It investigates serious crime throughout the country....
- Garda National Immigration BureauGarda National Immigration BureauThe Garda National Immigration Bureau is a unit of An Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The GNIB is responsible for the execution of deportation orders, investigation of human trafficking complaints, investigation of language schools, countering illegal immigration and border...
- Garda National Drug Unit
- Garda National Surveillance UnitGarda National Surveillance UnitThe Garda National Surveillance Unit is the covert, intelligence gathering and surveillance operations unit of An Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The unit operates out of the Crime and Security section based at Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park, Dublin...
- Operational Support Unit that consists of:-
- Garda Air Support UnitGarda Air Support UnitThe Garda Air Support Unit is a unit of An Garda Síochána which was formed in 1997. The GASU is part of the Operational Support Unit which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide...
- Garda Dog UnitGarda Dog UnitThe Garda Dog Unit is a unit of an Garda Síochána, the police force of Ireland.It is part of the Operational Support Unit which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide...
- Garda Mounted UnitGarda Mounted UnitThe Garda Mounted Support Unit is the horseback mounted division of An Garda Síochána.It is part of the Operational Support Unit which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide...
- Garda Water UnitGarda Water UnitThe Garda Water Unit is a unit of the Garda Síochána, the police service of Ireland. Formerly known as the Garda Sub-Aqua Unit, the name was changed to incorporate the services of the non-diving surfaced based marine section....
- Garda Air Support Unit
- Organised Crime Unit
- Garda Public Order UnitGarda Public Order UnitThe Garda Public Order Unit is a unit of An Garda Síochána,Ireland's police force, that deals with public disorder, including riots and protests.-Tactics:...
- Garda Regional Support UnitGarda Regional Support UnitGarda Regional Support Units are specialised armed units of the Garda Síochána - the police force of Ireland. Similar to the firearms units of British police forces, these Garda units carry a combination of lethal and less-lethal weapons.-Background:...
s - Special Detective UnitSpecial Detective UnitThe Special Detective Unit is a unit of an Garda Síochána under its Crime & Security Branch. They are a replacement for the older Special Branch unit, which itself replaced the CID in 1923...
- Garda Technical BureauGarda Technical BureauThe Garda Technical Bureau is the longest established Specialist unit in An Garda Síochána. The Bureau comprises eight Sections each providing a specialist service to An Garda Síochána:#Fingerprinting#Ballistics#Photography#Mapping...
Unarmed Gardaí
Most uniformed members of do not routinely carry firearmFirearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s. It is a tradition of the service that standard policing should be carried out in both rural and urban areas by uniformed officers equipped only with a wooden truncheon
Baton (law enforcement)
A truncheon or baton is essentially a club of less than arm's length made of wood, plastic, or metal...
. From March 2007 all new Gardaí have been issued with ASP
ASP, Inc.
Armament Systems and Procedures, Inc. , is an offensive compliance weapons manufacturer providing equipment to law enforcement and private security companies. ASP is perhaps best known for its telescoping batons.-History:...
extendable batons, with existing members to be trained in their use as training allows. In addition, the Garda Commissioner announced in October 2008 that all Gardaí are to be issued with Pepper Spray
Pepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
. As of December 2009, all Gardaí have been trained and issued with this Spray.
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
administration, which refused appeals from the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
that the force be disarmed. In the words of first Commissioner, Michael Staines
Michael Staines
Michael Staines was an Irish republican and politician. He was born in Newport, County Mayo his mother Margaret's home village, and where his father Edward was serving as an RIC officer....
, TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
:
According to Tom Garvin
Tom Garvin
Tom Christopher Garvin is an Irish political scientist and historian. He is Professor Emeritus of Politics in University College Dublin. He retired from lecturing duties in August 2008. He is an alumnus of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.Garvin is a graduate...
such a decision gave the new force a cultural ace: "the taboo on killing unarmed men and women who could not reasonably be seen as spies and informers."
Armed Gardaí
Walther P99
The Walther P99 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market as a replacement for the Walther P5 and the P88...
C semi-automatic pistols. Regional Support Units are equipped with Heckler & Koch MP7
Heckler & Koch MP7
The MP7 is a German submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch and chambered for the 4.6×30mm cartridge. It was designed with the new cartridge to meet NATO requirements published in 1989, as these requirements call for a personal defense weapon class firearm, with a greater ability to defeat...
sub-machine guns in addition to issue pistols and non-lethal weapons such as taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
s and pepper spray
Pepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
. They serve as a first response to back up regular Garda officers in critical situations due to a rise of incidents that involve firearm use. In order to be issued with a firearm, or to carry a firearm whilst on duty, a member must be in possession of a valid gun card.
Vehicles
patrol cars are mainly white, with yellow and blue fluorescent livery whereas traffic unit vehicles adopt the battenburgBattenburg markings
Battenburg refers to a pattern of high-visibility markings used to maximise conspicuity, primarily used on vehicles of the emergency services, but also in other applications such as uniforms...
pattern. The crest is also present on vehicles. An Garda Síochána also use unmarked patrol cars in their duties and use of such vehicles is increasing becoming a matter of cost rather than the need to hide the vehicles, as the amendments to the exterior of the vehicle such as LED strobes, Tetra
Terrestrial Trunked Radio
Terrestrial Trunked Radio is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification...
aerials and bumper LEDs in particular are extremely visible.
History
Civic Guard
Civic Guard may refer to:* Garda Síochána in Ireland* Schutterij in the Netherlands...
was formed by the Provisional Government in February 1922 to take over the responsibility of policing the fledgling Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
. It replaced the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
(RIC) and the Irish Republican Police
Irish Republican Police
The Irish Republican Police was the police force of the 1919-1922 Irish Republic and was administered by the Department for Home Affairs of that government.-Foundation:...
of 1919–22. In August 1922 the force accompanied Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
when he met the Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
in Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
.
The Garda Síochána (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923 enacted after the creation of the Irish Free State on 8 August 1923, provided for the creation of "a force of police to be called and known as 'The . Under section 22, The Civic Guard were deemed to have been established under and to be governed by the Act. The law therefore effectively renamed the existing force.
During the Civil War of 1922–23, the new Free State set up the Criminal Investigation Department
Criminal Investigation Department (Ireland)
The Criminal Investigation Department in the Irish Free State was an armed, plain-clothed counter-insurgency police unit that operated during the Irish Civil War. It was organised separately from the unarmed Civic Guard police force...
as an armed, plain-clothed counter-insurgency unit. It was disbanded after the end of the war in October 1923 and elements of it were absorbed into the Dublin Metropolitan Police
Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Dublin Metropolitan Police was the police force of Dublin, Ireland, from 1836 to 1925, when it amalgamated into the new Garda Síochána.-19th century:...
.
In Dublin, policing remained the responsibility of the Dublin Metropolitan Police
Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Dublin Metropolitan Police was the police force of Dublin, Ireland, from 1836 to 1925, when it amalgamated into the new Garda Síochána.-19th century:...
(DMP, founded 1836) until it merged with the in 1925. Since then the has been the only police force in the state now known as the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, with the exception of the Military Police
Póilíní Airm
The Póilíní Airm is the corps of the Irish Army responsible for the provision of policing service personnel and providing a military police presence to forces while on exercise and deployment. Its tasks increase during wartime to include traffic control organisation and POW and refugee control...
within the Irish Defence Forces
Irish Defence Forces
The armed forces of Ireland, known as the Defence Forces encompass the Army, Naval Service, Air Corps and Reserve Defence Force.The current Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence forces is His Excellency Michael D Higgins in his role as President of Ireland...
, the Airport Police Service, and Dublin Port and Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
Harbour police forces.
Scott Medal
First established in 1925, the Scott MedalScott Medal
The Walter Scott Medal is a medal awarded annually for bravery to Garda Síochána police officers and firemen. It is not a state award, being at the gift of the commissioner, but the medals are awarded by the Minister for Justice. FDNY recipients are also awarded $500, donated by the Fire Foundation...
for Bravery is the highest honour for bravery and valour awarded to a member of the Garda Síochána. The first medals were funded by Colonel Walter Scott, an honorary Commissioner of the New York Police Department. The first recipient of the Scott Medal was Pat Malone of St. Luke's Cork City who – as an unarmed – disarmed Tomás Óg Mac Curtain (the son of Tomás Mac Curtain
Tomás Mac Curtain
Tomás Mac Curtain was a Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland. He was elected in January 1920.He was born at Ballyknockane in the Parish of Mourne Abbey in March 1884. He attended Burnfort National School. In 1897 the family moved to Blackpool on the northside of Cork where he attended The North...
).
To mark the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
link, the American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
spelling of valor is used on the medal. The Commissioner chooses the recipients of the medal, which is presented by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
In 2000, Anne McCabe – the widow of Garda Jerry McCabe
Jerry McCabe
Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was a member of the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. McCabe was murdered in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the paramilitary group, the Provisional IRA, during the attempted robbery of a post office van.-Early...
, who was killed by armed Provisional IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bank robbers – accepted the Scott Medal for Bravery that had been awarded posthumously to her husband.
The Irish Republican Police
Irish Republican Police
The Irish Republican Police was the police force of the 1919-1922 Irish Republic and was administered by the Department for Home Affairs of that government.-Foundation:...
had at least one member killed by the RIC 21 July 1920.
The Civic Guard had one killed by accident 22 September 1922 & another was killed March 1923 by Frank Teeling
Frank Teeling
Francis 'Frank' Teeling was a member of the Irish Republican Army and one of Michael Collins' Squad who took part in the assassinations of members of the Cairo Gang on Bloody Sunday.-Background:...
. Likewise 4 members of the Oriel House
Oriel House, Westland Row
Oriel House, Westland Row is a building at the intersection of Westland Row and Fenian Street in Dublin.It was the headquarters of Dunlop Rubber, and the address at which the original pneumatic tyre patent was draughted in 1893 'for the wheels of Velocipedes and other Vehicles'.During the Irish...
Criminal Investigation Department
Criminal Investigation Department (Ireland)
The Criminal Investigation Department in the Irish Free State was an armed, plain-clothed counter-insurgency police unit that operated during the Irish Civil War. It was organised separately from the unarmed Civic Guard police force...
were killed/Died of wounds during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
. The Roll of Honor lists 31 members of the killed between 1922 and 1999. (See Below)
| Name | From | Until | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Staines Michael Staines Michael Staines was an Irish republican and politician. He was born in Newport, County Mayo his mother Margaret's home village, and where his father Edward was serving as an RIC officer.... |
February 1922 | September 1922 | resigned |
| Eoin O'Duffy Eoin O'Duffy Eoin O'Duffy was in succession a Teachta Dála , the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army , the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during... |
September 1922 | February 1933 | dismissed for encouraging military coup |
| Eamon Broy Eamon Broy Colonel Eamon Broy was successively a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the Irish Republican Army, the Irish Army, and the Garda Síochána of the Irish Free State... |
February 1933 | June 1938 | retired |
| Michael Kinnane | June 1938 | July 1952 | died |
| Daniel Costigan Daniel Costigan Daniel Costigan was Commissioner of An Garda Síochána from July 1952 until February 1965. -Visit by John Fitzgerald Kennedy:Commissioner Costigan was involved in the security for the visit of then President John F. Kennedy to Ireland in 1963... |
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) |
| Patrick McLaughlin | January 1978 | January 1983 | retired (wiretap scandal) |
| Lawrence Wren | February 1983 | November 1987 | retired |
| Eamonn Doherty Éamonn Doherty Eamon Doherty is a retired Irish League footballer who most recently played for Crusaders.-Biography:'Doc' started his career at Coleraine, before signing for Derry City and becoming a stalwart of their midfield for many years. He then had spell at Limavady United before joining current club... |
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 Noel Conroy Noel Conroy was Garda Commissioner from July 2003 until he retired in November 2007.He was born in born in Aughleam, Erris, County Mayo. He attended Aughleam N.S. and St. Nathy’s College, Ballaghaderreen. He joined the Garda Síochána in 1963 and has had a distinguished career, serving at senior... |
July 2003 | November 2007 | retired |
| Fachtna Murphy Fachtna Murphy Fachtna Murphy was the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána from 2007 to 2010. Prior to his appointment he was the Deputy Commissioner with responsibility for operational policing strategies in An Garda Síochána. He grew up in Timoleague, County Cork... |
November 2007 | December 2010 | Retired |
| Martin Callinan | December 2010 | Present | |
Commissioners
The first Commissioner, Michael StainesMichael Staines
Michael Staines was an Irish republican and politician. He was born in Newport, County Mayo his mother Margaret's home village, and where his father Edward was serving as an RIC officer....
, who was a Pro-Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
member of , held office for only eight months. It was his successors, Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy was in succession a Teachta Dála , the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army , the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during...
and Éamon Broy
Eamon Broy
Colonel Eamon Broy was successively a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the Irish Republican Army, the Irish Army, and the Garda Síochána of the Irish Free State...
, who played a central role in the development of the force. O'Duffy was Commissioner in the early years of the force when to many people's surprise the viability of an unarmed police force was established. O'Duffy later became a short-lived political leader of the quasi-fascist Blueshirts before heading to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to fight alongside Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. Broy had greatly assisted the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
(IRA) during the Anglo-Irish War, while serving with the Dublin Metropolitan Police
Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Dublin Metropolitan Police was the police force of Dublin, Ireland, from 1836 to 1925, when it amalgamated into the new Garda Síochána.-19th century:...
(DMP). Broy's fame grew in the 1990s when he featured in the film Michael Collins
Michael Collins (film)
Michael Collins is a 1996 historical biopic written and directed by Neil Jordan and starring Liam Neeson as General Michael Collins, the Irish patriot and revolutionary who died in the Irish Civil War. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival....
, in which it was misleadingly suggested that he had been murdered by the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
during the War of Independence, when in reality he lived for decades and headed the from 1933 to 1938. Broy was followed by Commissioners Michael Kinnane (1938–52) and Daniel Costigan (1952–65). The first Commissioner to rise from the rank of ordinary Garda was William P. Quinn, who was appointed in February 1965.
One later Commissioner, Edmund Garvey, was sacked by the government of Jack Lynch
Jack Lynch
John Mary "Jack" Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office; from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979....
in 1978 after it had lost confidence in him. Garvey won "unfair dismissal" legal proceedings against the government, which was upheld in the Irish Supreme Court This outcome required the passing of the Act 1979 to retrospectively validate the actions of Garvey's successor since he had become Commissioner. Garvey's successor, Patrick McLaughlin, was forced to resign along with his deputy in 1983 over his peripheral involvement in a political scandal. The current Commissioner, since December 2010, is Martin Callinan.
Past reserve forces
During the Emergency there were two reserve forces to the , and the Local Security Force.had the power of arrest and wore uniform, and were allowed to leave the reserve or sign-up as full members of the at the end of the war before the reserve was disbanded. The reserve was established by the Emergency Powers (Temporary Special Police Force) Order, 1939.
The Local Security Force (LSF) did not have the power of arrest, and part of the reserve was soon incorporated into the Irish Army Reserve
Irish Army Reserve
The Army Reserve is the land component of the Reserve Defence Forces . It is the second line reserve of the Army. The Army Reserve is a part-time, fully voluntary organisation, and is one of two elements of the Reserve Defence Forces of Ireland, the other element being the Naval Service Reserve.It...
under the command of the Irish Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
.
Policing abroad
Since 1989, the has undertaken United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peace-keeping duties. Its first such mission was a 50 strong contingent sent to Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. Since then the force has acted in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the former Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. The force's first fatality whilst working abroad was Sergeant Paul M. Reid, who was fatally injured while on duty with the United Nations UNPROFOR at "Sniper's Alley" in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
on 18 May 1995.
Members of the also serve in the Embassies of Ireland in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Members are also seconded to Europol
Europol
Europol is the European Union's criminal intelligence agency. It became fully operational on 1 July 1999....
in The Hague, Holland and Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
in Lyon, France. There are also many members working directly for UN and European agencies such as the War Crimes Tribunal.
officers also co-operate with members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Northern Ireland....
to combat cross-border crime. They have also accompanied politicians from the Republic, such as the President
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
on visits to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Under an agreement with the British Government and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Convention on the Law of the Sea, the and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland
Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland
The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland is an independent public body in the Republic of Ireland under the ageis of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.The RPII was established in 1992 under the , which conferred on the RPII a broad remit in relation to...
are allowed to inspect the Sellafield
Sellafield
Sellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England. The site is served by Sellafield railway station. Sellafield is an off-shoot from the original nuclear reactor site at Windscale which is currently undergoing...
nuclear facility in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Controversy and allegations involving the force
Much like every police force in the world the Gardaí have faced many complaints against them including allegations of discourtesy, harassment and perjury. A total of 1,173 complaints were made by the public against the in 2005, while over 2000 complaints were made in 2009.Some incidents involving the have attracted wide scale attention—such as those that led to the Morris
Morris Tribunal
The Morris Tribunal is a Public Inquiry to address allegations of the 1990s and early 2000s against the Garda Síochána , the national police force of the Republic of Ireland...
and Barr Tribunal
Barr Tribunal
The Barr Tribunal was a Public Inquiry in the Republic of Ireland established by Resolutions passed by the Dáil Éireann and the Seanad Éireann on the 17 and 18 April 2002, and by Instrument entitled Tribunals of Inquiry Evidence Acts 1921 Instrument 2002 made by the Minister for Justice, Equality...
s—and have resulted in broad reform initiatives. Other reports suggest that people who frequent gay and lesbian establishments feel that the are not doing enough to tackle reported homophobic crime in Ireland. In 2007 there was also some debate when a potential Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
applicant of the Garda Reserve requested that he be allowed wear a turban
Turban (Sikhism)
A Dastar or Pagṛi is a mandatory headgear for Sikhs. Dastar is very clearly associated with Sikhism and is an important part of the Sikh culture. Wearing a Sikh turban is mandatory for all Amritdhari Sikhs ....
in place of a standard uniform cap. Ultimately the provision was not made as it was stated that the force had the same uniform requirements for all members.
Mishandling of cases and complaints
The Kerry BabiesKerry Babies Tribunal
The Kerry Babies case is an unsolved murder case dating from 1984 in Kerry, Ireland, that dominated the Irish headlines for some months during that year and resulted in a public Tribunal of Inquiry into the behaviour of the Garda Síochána during the investigation.On 14 April 1984, a newborn baby...
case was one of the first public inquiries into mishandling of a investigation. Later, in the 1980s, the Ferns Report
The Ferns Report
The Ferns Report was an official Irish government inquiry into the allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland.-Scope:...
(an inquiry into allegations of clerical sexual abuse) described as "wholly inadequate" the handling of one of eight formal complaints made to Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
gardaí , but noted that the remaining formal complaints were handled in an "effective, professional and sensitive" manner.
The Gardaí were also criticised in the Murphy Report
Murphy Report
The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of an investigation conducted by government of Ireland into the Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin...
in relation to the handing over of the case of Fr. Edmondus (a pseudonym) to Archbishop McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
by Commissioner Costigan. Some very senior Gardaí were criticised for regarding priests as being outside their remit in 1960. On November 26, 2009, then Commissioner Fachtna Murphy
Fachtna Murphy
Fachtna Murphy was the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána from 2007 to 2010. Prior to his appointment he was the Deputy Commissioner with responsibility for operational policing strategies in An Garda Síochána. He grew up in Timoleague, County Cork...
apologised for the failure of An Garda Siochána to protect victims of child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. He said that inappropriate relationships and contacts between gardaí and the Dublin Archdiocese had taken place at a time of undue or misguided deference to religious authorities and that these were incompatible with any investigation. On 27 November 2009 he announced that a senior investigator would examine the findings in the report.
The Gardaí were criticised by the commission of investigation into the Dean Lyons case for their handling of the investigation into the Grangegorman killings
Grangegorman killings
The Grangegorman killings were the killings on 6 March 1997 of Sylvia Shields and Mary Callinan, patients of St Brendan’s Psychiatric Hospital in Grangegorman, Dublin, Ireland. After giving a false confession, Dean Lyons was charged with the murders and placed on remand...
. In his report, George Birmingham
George Birmingham
George M. Birmingham is a High Court judge and former Irish Fine Gael politician.George Birmingham was born in Dublin in 1954. He was educated at St. Paul's College, Trinity College, Dublin and King's Inns where he qualified as a barrister. He first became involved in politics in 1979 when he...
said that the Gardaí had used leading questions in their interviews with Lyons, and had failed to act on a suspicion that Lyons' confession was unreliable. For a period, the gardaí involved in the case failed to act on the knowledge that another man, Mark Nash, had confessed to the crime. They were also criticised for failing to keep adequate records of their interviews with Lyons.
Allegations resulting in Tribunals of Inquiry
In the 1990s and early 2000s the faced a series of allegations, including suggestions of corrupt and dishonest policing in County DonegalCounty Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. This became the subject of a judicial inquiry: the Morris Tribunal
Morris Tribunal
The Morris Tribunal is a Public Inquiry to address allegations of the 1990s and early 2000s against the Garda Síochána , the national police force of the Republic of Ireland...
. The tribunal found that some gardaí based in County Donegal had invented a Provisional IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
informer, made bombs and claimed credit for locating them, and attempted to frame Raphoe
Raphoe
Raphoe is a town in County Donegal, part of the province of Ulster in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.-Name:Raphoe,...
publican Frank McBrearty Junior for murder the latter case involving a €1.5m settlement with the State. In a report to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the Morris Tribunal expressed grave concern about "organised insubordination" within the force that "proper discipline has been lost from ", suggesting that a few mischief-makers abused their positions within the and used the disciplinary process to damage the force. The tribunal also expressed concern that recruits were brought into an undisciplined culture that had the potential to do great damage in the longer term, and warned that a "terrible and costly" waste of talent would occur if the situation continued. These scandals damaged the reputation and standing of the force in County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
On 20 April 2000, members of the Emergency Response Unit
Emergency Response Unit (Garda)
The Emergency Response Unit of the Garda Síochána is a specialist armed intervention unit under the Special Detective Unit, formed to deal with situations that cannot be handled by regular Garda officers.-History:...
shot dead, from behind, 27-year-old John Carthy
John Carthy
John Carthy was a 27-year-old Irish citizen with known psychiatric illnesses. On Thursday 20 April 2000 he was shot dead in controversial circumstances by the Emergency Response Unit of An Garda Síochána at his home in Toneymore, Abbeylara, County Longford, Ireland after a twenty-five hour...
at the end of a 25-hour siege as he left his home in Abbeylara
Abbeylara
Abbeylara is a village in the easternmost portion of County Longford, Ireland, located about three kilometers east of Granard on the R369 regional road. Its name is derived from a monastery, the great Abbey of Lerha, founded in 1205 by Hiberno-Norman magnate, Risteárd de Tiúit, for Cistercian monks...
, County Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
with a loaded shotgun in his hands. There were allegations made of inappropriate handling of the situation and of the overuse of armed force by the . This led to a inquiry, and subsequently, a Tribunal of Inquiry
Barr Tribunal
The Barr Tribunal was a Public Inquiry in the Republic of Ireland established by Resolutions passed by the Dáil Éireann and the Seanad Éireann on the 17 and 18 April 2002, and by Instrument entitled Tribunals of Inquiry Evidence Acts 1921 Instrument 2002 made by the Minister for Justice, Equality...
under the Chairmanship of Mr Justice Robert Barr. This inquiry was established on 1 July 2002, and the hearing of evidence was completed on 7 December 2004. The final report was expected within six months, but publication of the report was delayed until 20 July 2006. The official findings of the tribunal were that Sgt Michael Jackson made 14 mistakes in his role as negotiator during the siege, and that he failed to make real efforts to achieve resolution during the armed stand-off. It further stated however that Sgt Jackson was limited by lack of experience and resources (psychologists, solicitors, dogs). The tribunal recommended that there be an urgent review of command structures, and that the ERU be equipped with stun guns and other non-lethal options, including "non-compliant firearms support police dogs".
The Barr tribunal further recommended a formal working arrangement between Gardaí and State psychologists, and improvements in Garda training (especially in the context of ERU in siege situations, including those with mental illness as a factor). This included a recommendation that local superintendents undergo refresher training for one week every year as scene commanders and a similar refresher course for ERU officers of the rank of inspector or superintendent. Commissioner Conroy, in a letter to the family of John Carthy, stated that the force was "truly apologetic" for his death. Former Superintendent Joe Shelley, whose failure to interview John Carthy
John Carthy
John Carthy was a 27-year-old Irish citizen with known psychiatric illnesses. On Thursday 20 April 2000 he was shot dead in controversial circumstances by the Emergency Response Unit of An Garda Síochána at his home in Toneymore, Abbeylara, County Longford, Ireland after a twenty-five hour...
was cited in the Barr Tribunal
Barr Tribunal
The Barr Tribunal was a Public Inquiry in the Republic of Ireland established by Resolutions passed by the Dáil Éireann and the Seanad Éireann on the 17 and 18 April 2002, and by Instrument entitled Tribunals of Inquiry Evidence Acts 1921 Instrument 2002 made by the Minister for Justice, Equality...
Report as "extraordinary", and who was also severely criticised in the Report of the Morris Tribunal
Morris Tribunal
The Morris Tribunal is a Public Inquiry to address allegations of the 1990s and early 2000s against the Garda Síochána , the national police force of the Republic of Ireland...
into the controversial death of Richie Barron, was awarded a top-up bonus of €110,000 when he took early retirement in July 2005. Mr Justice Morris described Shelley's probe as "prejudiced, tendentious, utterly negligent in the highest degree".
Allegations involving abuse of powers
One of the first charges of serious impropriety against the force rose out of the handling of the Sallins Train RobberySallins Train Robbery
The Sallins Train Robbery occurred on 31 March 1976 when the Cork to Dublin mail train was robbed near Sallins in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland. Approximately IR£ 200,000 was stolen...
in 1976. This case eventually led to accusations that a "Heavy Gang" within the force intimidated and tortured accused. This eventually led to a Presidential
President of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
for one of the accused.
In 2004, an RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
Prime Time
Prime Time
Prime Time is an Irish news analysis, current affairs and politics programme. It is broadcast on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights between 21:30 and 22:10. It is currently presented by Miriam O'Callaghan, who has presented the programme since its commencement in 1996...
documentary accused elements within the of abusing their powers by physically assaulting people arrested. A retired Circuit Court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
judge (W. A. Murphy) suggested that some members of the force had committed perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
in criminal trials before him but later stated that he was misquoted, while a Minister of State
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
(Dick Roche
Dick Roche
Dick Roche is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Wicklow constituency, and also served in Seanad Éireann from 1992 to 1997.-Early and private life:...
, a junior government minister) accused Gardaí in one instance of "torture". The Commissioner accused the television programme of lacking balance.
The Prime Time documentary followed footage published by the Independent Media Centre Ireland
Indymedia.ie
Indymedia.ie is an Irish alternative media website affiliated with the global Indymedia network. It operates on the principles of open publishing and the Creative Commons. Contributions that adhere to the publishing guidelines are made by anyone that has pictures, audio, or text to contribute and...
showing scuffles between and Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim The Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalization, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim The...
demonstrators. One in this footage was later convicted of common assault
Common assault
Common assault was an offence under the common law of England, and has been held now to be a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is committed by a person who causes another person to apprehend the immediate use of unlawful violence by the defendant. It was thought to include battery...
, which is a summary matter, while several other were acquitted.
Allegations involving cross-border policing
The family of Eddie FullertonEddie Fullerton
Edward "Eddie" Fullerton was a Sinn Féin councillor from County Donegal, Ireland. He was assassinated at his Buncrana home in May 1991 by members of the Ulster Defence Association....
, a Buncrana councillor killed in his home by members of the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
in 1991, have criticised the 's handling of the investigation and in 2005 they started a campaign for an inquiry.
The Smithwick Tribunal
Smithwick Tribunal
The Smithwick Tribunal is a judicial inquiry being held in Blackhall Place, Dublin, Ireland, into the events surrounding the murders of Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Robert Buchanan of the Royal Ulster Constabulary...
is also investigating allegations of collusion following the deaths of two Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
officers killed by the Provisional IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
as they returned from a meeting with the in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
following a recommendation from the Cory Collusion Inquiry
Cory Collusion Inquiry
The Cory Collusion Inquiry was established to conduct an independent inquiry into deaths relating to the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland.A retired Canadian supreme court judge, Peter Cory was appointed to undertake a thorough investigation of allegations of collusion between British and Irish...
.
Operations around the Corrib Gas Project
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
Corrib gas refinery in Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
parish, Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
have seen a large Garda operation at its construction sites with up to 200 Gardaí involved, making it the single biggest policing operation in the country at times. By September 2008, the cost of the operation was €10 Million and is estimated to have cost €13.5 Million by the end of January 2009. This is comparable to the €20 Million budgeted for Operation Anvil, the operation targeting organised crime, criminal gangs and their associates. A section of road used by the protesters has been dubbed "the Golden Mile" by Gardaí because of the overtime
Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:*by custom ,*by practices of a given trade or profession,*by legislation,...
opportunities. Complaints have been made about the Garda handling of the protests and several TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
s, including former Green Party leader Trevor Sargent
Trevor Sargent
Trevor Sargent is an Irish Green Party politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency from 1992 to 2011...
have criticised the Garda's handling of the situation.
Reform initiatives
Arising from some of the above incidents, the has undergone a number of reform initiatives in recent years. The Morris Tribunal in particular recommended major changes to the organisation's management, discipline, promotion and accountability arrangements. Many of these recommendations were subsequently implemented under the Garda Síochána Act 2005.It was also stated by the tribunal Chairman, Mr Justice Morris, that the code of discipline was extremely complex and, at times, "cynically manipulated" to promote indiscipline across the force. Judicial reviews, for example, were cited as a means for delaying disciplinary action.
The fall-out from the Morris Tribunal was considerable. While fifteen members of the force were sacked between 2001 and 2006, and a further 42 resigned in lieu of dismissal in the same period, Commissioner Conroy stated that he was constrained in the responses available to deal with members whose misbehaviour is cited in public inquiries.
New procedures and code of discipline
With strong support from opposition parties, and reflecting widespread political consensus, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform responded to many of these issues by announcing a new draft code of discipline on 17 August 2006. The new streamlined code introduced new procedures to enable the Commissioner to summarily dismiss a alleged to have brought the force into disrepute, abandoned duties, compromised the security of the State or unjustifiably infringed the rights of other persons.In addition, a four member "non officer management advisory team" was appointed in August 2006 to advise on implementing change options and addressing management and leadership challenges facing the . The advisers were also mandated to promote a culture of performance management, succession planning, recruitment of non officers with specialist expertise, and improved training. The advisory team included Senator Maurice Hayes
Maurice Hayes
Maurice Hayes is an Irish politician and was an independent member of the 21st and 22nd Seanads, nominated as a senator by the Taoiseach.-Life:Maurice Hayes was born in County Down in Northern Ireland....
, Emer Daly (former director of strategic planning and risk management at Axa Insurance), Maurice Keane (former group chief executive at Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
), Michael Flahive (Assistant Secretary at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Dr Michael Mulreany (assistant director general at the Institute of Public Administration).
Enhanced non officer support
Clerical and administrative support has been significantly enhanced in recent times. In the two-year period from December 2006 to December 2008 whole-time equivalent non officer staffing levels were increased by over 60%, from under 1,300 to approximately 2,100, in furtherance of official policies to release more desk-bound for operational duties and to bring the level of general support in line with international norms. A new tier of middle and senior non officer management has also been introduced in a range of administrative and technical/professional support areas. A Chief Administrative Officer at Deputy Commissioner level was appointed in October 2007 to oversee many of these key support functions.Inspectorate
In accordance with Section 115 of the Act, the Inspectorate consists of three members who are appointed by the Irish Government. The functions of the Inspectorate, inter alia, are as follows:- Carry out, at the request or with the consent of the Minister, inspections or inquiries in relation to any particular aspects of the operation and administration of the ,
- Submit to the Minister (1) a report on those inspections or inquiries, and (2) if required by the Minister, a report on the operation and administration of the Garda Síochána during a specified period and on any significant developments in that regard during that period, and any such reports must contain recommendations for any action the Inspectorate considers necessary.
- provide advice to the Minister with regard to best policing practice.
The first Chief Inspector (since July 2006), is former Commissioner of Boston Police
Boston Police Department
The Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...
, Kathleen M. O'Toole
Kathleen O'Toole
Kathleen M. O'Toole is the Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, set up to ensure that the resources available to the Garda Síochána are used so as to achieve and maintain the highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness in its operation and administration, as measured by reference to the...
. She reports directly to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
From 2006 to 2009, O'Toole was supported by two other inspectors, Robert Olsen and Gwen M. Boniface
Gwen M. Boniface
Gwen M. Boniface, COM, OOnt, is a Canadian police officer, lawyer, and the former Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police ending in 2006. She is the first female to hold this position...
. Olsen was Chief of Police for 8 years of the Minneapolis Police Department. Boniface is a former Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
, and was one of 3 female police commissioners in Canada when appointed in May 1998. She suggested that rank and file Gardaí were not equipped to perform their duties or protect themselves properly. She also suggested that routine arming may become a reality but dismissed the suggestion that this was currently being considered.
Ombudsman Commission
Over 2000 complaints were made against the organization in 2009. The Garda Commissioner referred over 100 incidents where the conduct of a garda resulted in death or serious injury to the Ombudsman for investigation. Also newly instrumented, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (referred to colloquially as the Garda Ombudsman or simply abbreviated to GSOC) replaces the earlier system of complaints (the Complaints Board). Becoming fully operational on 9 May 2007, the Commission is empowered to:- Directly and independently investigate complaints against members of the Garda Síochána
- Investigate any matter, even where no complaint has been made, where it appears that a Garda may have committed an offence or behaved in a way that justified disciplinary proceedings
- Investigate any practise, policy or procedure of the with a view to reducing the incidence of related complaints
The Members of the Ombudsman Commission are: Dermot Gallagher (Chairman; former Secretary General at the Department of Foreign Affairs), Carmel Foley (former Director of Consumer Affairs), and Conor Brady
Conor Brady
Conor Brady was the editor of The Irish Times for 16 years, between 1986 and 2002, having previously edited the Sunday Tribune.-Life:Brady was educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea, Co...
(former Editor of The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
and author of a book on the history of the ). The Commission's first Chairman was Kevin Haugh (a High Court Judge) who died in early 2009, shortly before his term of office was to conclude.
Public Attitudes to An Garda Siochana
The Garda Public Attitudes Survey 2008 found that 81% of respondents were satisfied with the , although 72% believed the service needed improvement. 91% agreed that their local were approachable.The survey also found that 8% of people believed a Garda has acted unacceptably towards them; this rate was highest in Dublin South Central at 14%, lowest in Mayo at 2%. The most common complaint was of being disrespectful or impolite.
Band
The Band is a public relations branch of the , and was formed shortly after the foundation of the force. It gave its first public performance on Dún LaoghaireDún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
Pier on Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
, 1923. The first Bandmaster
Bandmaster
A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a military band, brass band or a marching band.-British Armed Forces:In the British Armed Forces, a Bandmaster is always a Warrant Officer Class 1 . A commissioned officer who leads a band is known as the Director of Music...
was Superintendent
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
D.J. Delaney and he formed a céilí and pipe band within the Band. In 1938, the Dublin Metropolitan Band (based at Kevin Street
Kevin Street
Kevin Street is an English footballer whose playing position is as a midfielder for Stafford Rangers.-Playing career:...
) and the Band amalgamated and were based at the Headquarters in Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
.
The band was disbanded in 1965. However to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the it was reformed in 1972.
Besides providing music for official functions (such as Graduation Ceremonies at the Garda College) the band undertakes a community orientated programme each year performing at schools, festivals and sporting events. It has a long association with Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
for Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and Soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
Internationals, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin and the Rose of Tralee
Rose of Tralee (festival)
The Rose of Tralee festival is an international competition which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The festival takes its inspiration from a nineteenth century ballad of the same name about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee. The...
Festival.
In 1964 the band toured America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
under Superintendent
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
J. Moloney, and has also traveled to international events and represented the country at police festivals and concerts in Switzerland, Germany and Northern Ireland.