The Garda chief is confident key vacancies in the force will be filled "very soon" following a submission to the Cabinet by Justice Minster Alan Shatter.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said that by the end of this month — when changes in public service pensions kick in — there would be 19 vacancies at chief superintendent level and 49 at superintendent.
This would represent a third of all chief superintendent positions and 40% of superintendent ranks.
Mr Callinan said there would also be four vacancies at assistant commissioner level — the third highest rank in the force — representing a third of all such positions.
Last year, 51 gardaí were selected for promotion for the positions of assistant commissioner, chief superintendent and superintendent — but none were given the green light by the Government.
Mr Shatter is expected to discuss the matter with the Cabinet today.
Government sources suggested that two assistant commissioners, between six and eight chief superintendents, and about 20 superintendents will be appointed, but it is not yet clear how many will get the go-ahead.
Mr Callinan was upbeat on the matter.
"I’m obviously pleased. We’ve all heard the minister’s comments in recent days and certainly that’s very pleasing to me as commissioner."
He said it was crucial his senior command posts were not left vacant.
"It is important that those positions are filled. Everybody is aware of that, including the minister, who has worked very, very hard on my behalf to make sure we get the requisite promotions and I’m confident that’s going to happen very, very soon."
He said once the Cabinet approved the appointments, he would determine which of the vacancies would have priority and which individual should go where.
"Obviously that is something I have to look at as commissioner.
"All the minister can do is get the appointments of the various ranks. It’s up to me then to distribute the personnel where there is the most demand."
He said key positions in the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation — where two of the top three positions are vacant — would be filled. The bureau is tasked with investigating complicated and labour-intensive financial crimes and is near the end of a mammoth probe into Anglo Irish Bank.
Mr Callinan spelled out the extent of the shortages in the force at the moment.
"Between now and the end of the month, we will have 19 vacancies at rank of chief superintendent and 49 at the rank of superintendent. There are three vacancies currently at the rank of assistant commissioner and there’s one man — the assistant commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region — who has indicated his desire to retire toward the end of the month."
At an Oireachtas committee last week, Mr Callinan said 483 gardaí left in 2011 and 293 were due to retire in the first two months of this year, a total of 776.
This will leave the strength of the force at 13,601, compared to 14,377 at the start of 2011.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, February 07, 2012
