Major Garda shakeup with senior appointments

In what will be the biggest Garda shakeup in many years, more than 30 superintendents and seven chief superintendents are to be appointed in the coming days.

The scale came as a surprise, as it was initially thought only a dozen appointments would be made.

The move will be welcomed by middle-ranking and frontline gardaí, operating without senior officers for a long

period.

There are, however, still significant shortages at sergeant rank level.

The Government makes the decision on the appointment of senior officers from superintendent rank up, based on recommendations by the Garda Commissioner following an interview process.

The interviews were held in the run-up to Christmas. The force has been riddled with vacancies due to the moratorium on recruitment and the high level of retirements, which saw numbers drop from 14,500 in 2010 to 12,900 now.

Senior sources said that Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan had been keen to fill vacancies after she was promoted to the position last November, following eight months as interim chief.

It is not yet clear when the vacancies of assistant and deputy commissioner will be filled, partly due to some uncertainty as to who will make the decision.

Under the Garda Síochána Bill 2014 regarding the establishment of the new Policing Authority, the authority will have the power to appoint superintendents, chief superintendents, and assistant commissioners.

Regarding the two deputy commissioners, as well as the commissioner, the authority will nominate people to the Government.

The two deputy positions — one operations, the other strategy/change management — are vacant. Two assistant commissioners — John Twomey and Donal O’Cualain — are filling the respective positions on an interim basis.

The deputy posts may be filled by open recruitment through the Public Appointments Service, the same as the commissioner.