The development of the strategy is part of a major restructuring of Ireland's intelligence infrastructure, a key recommendation of the Policing Commission, published in September 2018.

Garda security services have seized almost 160kg of explosives and arrested more than 90 people in operations targeting dissident republicans in the last four years.

Garda chiefs have laid bare to the Department of Justice the consequences of not providing special budgets for high-level visits to Ireland.

Most local garda divisions are set to double in size in a massive shakeup of the Garda organisation, under proposals seen by the Irish Examiner.

The most important gardaí are those who “work on the ground”, but they are “not valued”, a longtime community activist has said.

A senior civil servant with lengthy experience in security and intelligence has been appointed as the country’s new national security chief.

The Government’s much-awaited second national cyber security strategy is due to be published in the coming weeks.

Ireland’s new intelligence oversight chief must have “full access” to classified material and be “wholly independent” of Government, the former British oversight boss has said.

A third of middle-ranking gardaí say they don't know anything about the landmark blueprint to reform the policing service.

The country’s first national security chief will not answer directly to the Taoiseach, but to the country’s top civil servant, under the job advertisement just published.

There are “large gaps” in local state services that are creating a barrier for effective community policing, an Oireachtas committee has said.

The content and style of the Government’s implementation plan for Garda reform “do not inspire confidence” that past failures to enforce policing reforms will not be repeated, a leading expert has said.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said there are considerable obstacles to be overcome to implement key parts of the Government’s four-year policing reform plan.

One thing is for sure, Drew Harris will have a bit of light reading over Christmas. There won’t be much festive cheer in any of it either, writes Cormac O'Keeffe.

There is one topic that neither side has put on the table in the EU-UK divorce negotiation, and that’s just as it should be. There is no reason at all why the political wrangling over Brexit and the shape of a final deal should be a barrier to the closest possible co-operation on cybersecurity between Britain and Ireland and, indeed, other EU members.

Mr Justice Charleton sets out seven obligations for gardaí in his report that, if implemented, could see postive change in the force, according to Cormac O’Keeffe.

Key proposals in the Policing Commission report involving a dilution in the role of the Policing Authority will “concentrate power” in the hands of Government and Garda management, a leading policing expert has said.

Two members of the Policing Commission have publicly voiced their opposition to a key recommendation for an internal Garda body to take over many external oversight powers.

The Future of Policing in Ireland report has thrown up a range of ‘issues’ that could see proposals get stuck or even sink in the resultant quagmire, says Cormac O’Keeffe.

Your morning bulletin.

People looking for a dramatic development in the shadowy area of security and intelligence may be already lining up to dismiss the expected proposals from the Policing Commission.

Drew Harris is quietly spoken. That much has been made clear by people close to him, writes Cormac O'Keeffe

A specialist Garda hate crimes division should be set up to improve the reporting of offences and the quality of investigations, according to a submission to the Policing Commission.

Some 29 people — 26 men and three women — were considered for the Garda Commissioner job.

Reported sex crimes, assaults, robberies and weapons offences have risen sharply, according to new crime statistics.

With the weights of issues facing the force, and its reluctance to accept outside influence, the former PSNI officer has a tough job ahead, says Cormac O’Keeffe

The PSNI police chief appointed as the next Garda commissioner said his focus would be on protecting the vulnerable and keeping people “on the island of Ireland” safe.

The heads of two policing oversight bodies have signalled that selection and promotion processes in the gardaí need to be overhauled in order to combat perceptions of favouritism and unfairness.

Visible community policing, supporting victims of crime, and better training for gardaí are among the key recommendations made to the Policing Commission by the public and organisations.

The Garda Inspectorate has said it expects gardaí to have sexual and domestic violence units in all 28 divisions by the end of the year — despite warnings from the Commissioner that their plan to establish just four this year, on top of the existing four, was in jeopardy.

The composition of a powerful interview panel tasked with selecting the next garda commissioner is being kept largely under wraps.

Civilian leaders from across the world are being invited to apply for the “extremely challenging” position of Garda commissioner.

Michael Clifford It is inconceivable that Gsoc would not recommend a major overhaul of the ‘maze’ that is the Garda discipline process, writes Michael Clifford.

The difficulty of disciplining a member of An Garda Síochána arose recently at the launch of an Irish Council for Civil Liberties submission to the Policing Commission.

The Policing Authority has said the Department of Justice is “critically conflicted” in its relationship with An Garda Síochána — both supporting the service on a daily basis and holding it to account.

The Garda Inspectorate has told the Policing Commission it wants the power to conduct unannounced visits at Garda stations.

Gardaí need to be trained and monitored in implementing domestic abuse policy and required to keep statistics, Women’s Aid has told the Policing Commission.

Human rights officers should be appointed to every area of policing as part of a comprehensive framework to address persistent problems in An Garda Síochána.

The Policing Commission will be recommending to the Government that a body be established to implement its findings, the chair of the expert body has said.

The head of the Policing Commission has said she is now “very optimistic” that the process to appoint the next Garda commissioner will be “thoughtful and effective” and that the “right person will be selected”.

The Department of Justice has received a hammering before, but few can recall a time when its own minister and the Taoiseach gave it such a public tongue-lashing, writes Cormac O'Keeffe.

The Department of Justice has received a hammering before, but few can recall a time when its own minister and the Taoiseach gave it such a public tongue-lashing, writes Cormac O’Keeffe.

It’s default mode in Ireland. There’s a crisis in policing and the justice system — then proposals are dusted down and presented as a fresh effort to respond to the problem.

The Government is due to initiate the process to select a Garda commissioner in December — contrary to calls from the Policing Commission that the process should wait until it reports next September.