O’Sullivan faces huge challenge to renew force

A new Garda Commissioner

Nóirin O’Sullivan is to be congratulated on her appointment as Garda Commissioner, an appointment that means every senior position in our justice system is held by a woman. This milestone, one reached after an international competition, symbolises a significant change in culture that Commissioner O’Sullivan will try to replicate throughout An Garda Síochana.

Ms O’Sullivan had been acting as interim Commissioner since her predecessor Martin Callinan stepped down, in controversial circumstances, last March. Those difficult circumstances, which also ended the ministerial career of Alan Shatter, will to a very large degree define the challenge faced by the new Commissioner — rebuilding public confidence in the force, restoring garda morale and changing the perceived culture of insularity and the lack of accountability identified in a series of reports, including a critical one from the Garda Inspectorate, that have so damaged the organisation.