Garda Commissioner position...Mission impossible?

Applications have been invited from people who might wish to be the next Garda Commissioner.

The successful applicant may negotiate a salary up to €250,000 which is a considerable increase on the €180,000 paid to the last Commissioner which, laughably, put her on a par with some RTÉ reporters. The salary, however, is irrelevant.

The next Commissioner faces an unenviable challenge.

The force has lost credibility, its culture is unacceptable and it is institutionally resistant to democratic oversight or

reform. Morale, we are assured, is at a low ebb.

The internal garda report published just yesterday that concluded that the rescue of Joan Burton and an assistant from a 2014 anti-water charges protest in Jobstown, Dublin, was a ‘qualified’ policing success is just another indication of how far removed from reality garda-think has strayed.

Whoever is appointed will need talent, charisma, energy, forbearance, determination and an absolute commitment to truth — and the ability to survive on about five hours sleep a day.

Good luck with that.