Irish Examiner view: Now could be the time to separate policing and security 

It is a fraught time in Irish policing, as seen by the frosty reception for Drew Harris at the AGSI conference

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris will continue in that role until September, having originally been scheduled to step down in June. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA 

Readers may be aware of the uncertainty surrounding the position of garda commissioner, a role currently filled by Drew Harris, though his tenure is drawing to an end.

It might be thought that senior gardaí would be keen on taking on the top position in law enforcement in the country, but there’s a high degree of reticence about applying for the job among the most obvious candidates.

This is a result of uncertainty regarding garda pensions — as explained here this week by Cormac O’Keeffe, those senior gardaí are worried that an anomaly in the pension provisions could result in the new garda commissioner being left with a pension bill of well over €500,000.

Now there is speculation that only foreign police officers may apply for the position.

As a consequence, it is no surprise to learn that Drew Harris is now continuing as garda commissioner until September, having originally been scheduled to step down in June.

This situation is concerning on a number of levels. 

It is a fraught time in Irish policing, as seen by the frosty reception for Mr Harris at the conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors this week, which told him that his legacy will be one of failing policing strategies, strained industrial relations, and change for the sake of change.

The same conference heard gardaí voice concerns about the ongoing issue of ‘citizen journalists’ filming and provoking police officers as they go about their work, a challenge faced by police forces in many parts of the world.

There is a further complication when it comes to filling the position of garda commissioner in that the person appointed is not only in charge of policing but is head of our national security apparatus.

At a time when countries such as Russia are showing an interest in destabilising our democracy, this part of the job may ultimately become more significant than the strict policing element.

Is it time to decouple those responsibilities and have a separate head of national security? That would surely be preferable to having a high-ranking security official from another state taking over those responsibilities here.

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Which will Cork see first — light rail or an event centre? 

Details of one of the most significant infrastructural projects in the history of the State were unveiled this week, with a proposed route for the Cork light rail system finally made public.

A visualisation of the proposed new Cork light rail system, widely referred to as 'the Cork Luas', on St Patrick's Street.  

At the launch of that route, the Taoiseach pledged the support of the Government for the project, saying his administration would do what it could to accelerate delivery of the light rail system. However, he would not commit to specifics on costs and delivery dates.

It is depressing to consider that timelines and prices are so difficult to establish for such an important project, and readers would be forgiven for a certain level of cynicism.

Recent scandals involving projects as various as the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin or the event centre in Cork have certainly served to elevate national levels of scepticism, if nothing else.

It is equally unsurprising to hear doubts being raised about the precise route proposed for the light rail system in Cork. One pub is liable to be flattened if this route is chosen, for instance: The owner of The Venue Bar said he only learned his pub might be demolished when his customers told him.

While it is disappointing that no one responsible for this draft of the route saw fit to contact those it may affect, such plans are always subject to discussion and consultation — and amendment as a result of both. It is to be hoped that communication with those affected by the route will improve in future rounds of consultation.

Leeside readers can expect plenty of time for contemplation in the coming years. One TD expressed concern this week that it could be 15 years before a passenger rides on this transport system.

Anyone who feels he might have been exaggerating should remember that it was 10 years between the report calling for a light rail system in Dublin and the launch of the Luas itself.

A far-sighted bookmaker should offer odds on which will see action first, Cork’s version of the Luas or the long-awaited event centre.

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J1 students put on alert 

Anyone with an eye on events in America will be aware of mass deportations being carried out under president Donald Trump’s administration, some of them involving legal residents of that country.

Draconian measures are also being applied to visitors. Recently, a French scientist was barred from entry after his phone was searched and messages critical of Trump were found. Little wonder, then, that we learned this week that the number of Irish visitors to the US fell by 27% last month compared to March 2024.

Now a cohort of regular Irish visitors to America has received a stark warning. For decades, third-level students have enjoyed working holidays in the US under the J1 scheme, but this week the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) issued a warning to students to be cautious about activism in America this summer.

USI president Chris Clifford advised students to take measures to ensure their safety: “That means deleting their social media, if they have to do that.”

This is a sobering warning for anyone contemplating a summer working in one of the traditional Irish student haunts in America — and yet another indication of the reality of the Trump regime.