Paul Cleary formally appointed as deputy garda commissioner security, strategy and governance

Deputy Garda Commissioner Security, Strategy & Governance Paul Cleary

The acting garda deputy commissioner Paul Cleary has been formally appointed to take over the position.

Mr Cleary has been acting up, as assistant commissioner, in the job since last September.

His title is Deputy Commissioner Security, Strategy & Governance.

The appointment follows an open competition and approval by the Government.

In previous years Operations & Security were held by the same deputy commissioner but this was changed when Security was placed with Governance.

The decision by Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, following his appointment on September 1, to make public Mr Cleary’s appointment as interim deputy commissioner was seen by many as a strong indication he was a front runner for the role.

Before acting up, Mr Cleary was Assistant Commissioner for the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

There are two deputy commissioners in the organisation, the other being Shawna Coxon, who joined An Garda Síochána from the Toronto Police in Canada in February 2021.

Ms Coxon holds the position of Deputy Commissioner Operations.

Mr Cleary, aged 52, has been in the organisation for 33 years and was previously Detective Chief Superintendent of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau and before that Detective Superintendent at the Covert Human Intelligence Unit.

He was previously Detective Inspector in Dublin South Central where, along with then Detective Superintendent Peter O’Boyle, he ran Operation Thistle, targeting mid to low tiers of the Kinahan crime cartel.

Mr Cleary, from Dublin, has a MA in Serious Crime Investigation from the University of Limerick.