Still unclear if any career gardaí will apply for top Garda role

Thursday is the closing date for applications for the post of garda commissioner. Drew Harris had acceded to government requests to delay his retirement to enable it to fill the role. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins 

There is continuing uncertainty as to whether any career Garda officers are applying for the garda commissioner job — applications for which close on Thursday.

There are strong indications that few, if any, of the assistant commissioner candidates intend to apply, but there are reports that Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly has applied for the role or is considering doing so.

If he does apply, it would mark a significant development as he, along with other career gardaí, were believed to be against applying for the role because of a long-running dispute over pension tax burdens.

The career gardaí have described the pension tax regime as “discriminatory” compared to other candidates — either those who only recently joined the force from another jurisdiction or who were applying from abroad — who do not have to pay the tax.

Estimates of the tax — which is based on the lifetime value of the pension — have ranged from €500,000 to €1.5m.

This issue dogged competitions to fill the deputy commissioner position that Mr Kelly eventually applied for, and received, and have continued since.

Mr Kelly, head of security, governance, and strategy in the force, would be considered by many people — both inside and outside the organisation — as a frontrunner for garda commissioner position.

Drew Harris was due to retire in June but agreed to Government requests to stay on in the job to allow for his successor to be appointed.

It is understood there have been “back channel” talks to address concerns regarding the pension tax issue — with indications that assurances have been given that the issue would be addressed.

However, many sources have expressed scepticism of this assurance, pointing out that the same was promised when the deputy commissioner position was filled, but never happened.

'Strong candidates' 

It is also thought that Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon, head of operations, has applied for the garda commissioner post.

As she only joined An Garda Síochána in April 2021 from the Canadian police, she does not face the tax burden that her career colleagues do. She is also considered a strong candidate, based on her experience and qualification.

A number of assistant commissioners — such as Angela Willis, head of organised and serious crime, and Paul Cleary, Dublin metropolitan region — are considered potentially strong candidates, if they apply.

Serious concerns have previously been expressed at the prospect that none of the career Garda officers would apply for the job, not least because An Garda Síochána is both a police and national security service and the commissioner is the head of both.

These concerns contrast to documents — and Government statements — regarding the position, which state that the job is open to any suitably qualified candidate regardless of what country they come from.

There has been speculation in recent weeks that a police chief from a neighbouring jurisdiction may be in the mix, but this is not confirmed.

There is a strong view within Garda management that having a police officer from a different jurisdiction for the second time in a row — after Mr Harris, who came from the PSNI — would be a significant blow to morale and cohesion at senior Garda levels.