ieExplains: Who is new Garda commissioner Justin Kelly?

Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan announced on Tuesday that Justin Kelly will be replacing Drew Harris as Garda Commissioner. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

From September, a new man will be in charge of An Garda Síochána.

Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan announced on Tuesday that Justin Kelly will be replacing Drew Harris as Garda commissioner.

Here, we look at who Mr Kelly is, and what his career path has been to date.

Where is Justin Kelly from?

Mr Kelly is a native of Dublin.

How long has Justin Kelly been a garda?

Mr Kelly first joined the gardaí in 1992.

From then up until 2017, he held a number of ranks including garda, sergeant, and inspector. He served as a frontline inspector in Blanchardstown and Clondalkin.

In 2001, he was seconded to work for the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he worked monitoring and building the capacity of local law enforcement.

In 2017, he was appointed as a detective superintendent in the Garda National Protective Services Bureau.

His work there led to an appointment as detective chief superintendent in the Special Detective Unit in 2020. There, he was tasked with leading the Operational Counter-Terrorism Unit.

When was Justin Kelly appointed as assistant commissioner?

From May 2022 to October 2024, Mr Kelly served as the assistant commissioner in charge of Serious and Organised Crime.

In his role, he was responsible for the national units and investigations into drugs and organised crime, cybercrime, economic crime, immigration and crimes against vulnerable persons.

Mr Kelly was appointed deputy commissioner for Security, Strategy and Governance in October 2024.

What about his education and qualifications? 

Mr Kelly has a bachelor's in civil law from UCD, a master of criminal justice from John Jay College in New York, a master of business administration from DCU, a master of serious crime investigation from the University of Limerick and has completed a strategic command course at the College of Policing, UK.

What will his new salary be?

The salary for the Garda commissioner role is currently €314,512. 

The Department of Justice says this reflects "the size and unique complexity of leading An Garda Síochána, which is a very large policing service with over 18,000 employees, and includes lead responsibility for the security of the State".

When will he start as Garda commissioner? 

Mr Kelly will take up the new role on September 1, with Mr Harris remaining as commissioner until that date.

He is eligible to serve a five-year term, or until reaching the retirement age of 62.

There is provision in the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024, for an extension of up to two further years, subject to Government approval.