‘Huge surprise’ as PSNI deputy to be Garda boss
Historic appointment marks a new era for beleaguered force
THE deputy head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland has been appointed Garda Commissioner in an historic ‘sea-change’ for the force.
PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Drew Harris was chosen following an international selection process and is the first non-garda to take the top job.
The appointment is for a five-year period. The salary of the Garda Commissioner was increased to €250,000 a year from €180,000 in order to attract interest in the position from outside applicants.
Mr Harris, who is in his early 50s, is married with four children, and is a police officer with 34 years’ experience in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the PSNI.
His father, RUC Superintendent Alwyn Harris, was killed by the IRA in 1989. A Semtex bomb exploded under his car as he was on his way to church with his wife. She survived the explosion.
Mr Harris’s policing experience includes 12 years in senior leadership roles, and he has served as Deputy Chief Constable since 2014.
His appointment marks a new departure for An Garda Síochána and this is the first time someone from outside the force has been appointed to such a senior role.
Mr Harris has a degree in politics and economics and a masters in criminology. His work in the past has seen him interact with the British security service, MI5.
Mr Harris was chosen following the appointment process run by the Public Appointment Service.
He fought off stiff competition from two internal garda competitors – Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy and Deputy Commissioner John Twomey.
Speaking about his appointment, Mr Harris said that his new job was a ‘great privilege’.
As he met the Taoiseach at Government Buildings, Mr Harris said he had worked with An Garda Síoforce,
‘The force has been plagued by problems’
chána in many very successful operations.
‘I am really very honoured to be selected for this important role,’ he said, adding: ‘I know that this is a time of change and transition.’
He said his focus would be on protecting the vulnerable and ‘keeping people on the island of Ireland safe’.
The Taoiseach said the appointment enabled the taking of a new direction. ‘Our priority was to get the best person for the job, and we’ve done that.’
Candidates had been considered from home and abroad, both with policing and other backgrounds, he said.
The appointment would help enhance accountability in the the Taoiseach suggested. ‘Public confidence and trust in An Garda Síochána helps underpin our democratic State,’ he said.
Recent controversies in the force had ‘given rise to concern’ among the population and the Government, he said, but notwithstanding such scandals, the Irish people had ‘enormous respect’ for the Gardaí.
Asked by the Irish Daily Mail if Mr Harris would be bringing in his own top management echelon as a ‘landing party’, Mr Varadkar said: ‘All these things will be discussed with the Department of Justice in the coming months.’
There had been PSNI entrants and secondments to the Gardaí in recent years, he noted, adding: ‘I think we will probably see more of that in the future. This is an opportunity to get policing going in the right direction.’
Senior sources say there is ‘an element of shock and surprise’ among the 13,500-strong members of An Garda Síochána that ‘an outsider’ is to take the helm.
One source said: ‘There is huge surprise. An outsider coming in to effect change. And someone from the North, from a British persuasion essentially.
‘It is a massive change. It will take some time to digest. But gardaí will have an open mind and give Mr Harris a chance. Such is the dissatisfaction in the force.’
However, another source insisted that ‘real change was necessary’ in order for the force to move on as an effective police force into the 21st century.
This source said: ‘We all saw that the force has been plagued with problems during the tenure of the last two commissioners, Martin Callinan and Nóirín O’Sullivan. Both left the job early.
‘While not laying blame at these former commissioners’ doors, perhaps exactly what is needed is a non-garda to completely try and shake up what the force does.’
Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, TD, said his party would ‘work constructively’ with Drew Harris – who was in charge of the PSNI investigation into Gerry Adams over the 1972 murder of Belfast mother of ten Jean McConville.
BY any reckoning, these are turbulent times for An Garda Síochána.
The Disclosures Tribunal is investigating claims that senior officers were involved in a smear campaign against whistleblower Maurice McCabe. Regardless of what the inquiry’s ultimate findings are, it is beyond doubt that serious questions needed to be asked about the penalty-points system.
We have also seen the unprecedented situation of two successive commissioners having to resign in controversial circumstances. And, of course, there was the issue of 1.5million falsified breath tests, as well as a long litany of other scandals.
Against that backdrop, it is hardly surprising that a survey last year revealed that fewer than half the population believed the force to be well-managed. Only a slightly higher proportion considered them effective at fighting crime.
It is a worrying state of affairs when the broader community loses confidence in the national police force. Restoring that faith is of paramount importance.
Yesterday’s announcement of PSNI deputy chief constable Drew Harris as the next Garda Commissioner is a positive development in that regard. Quite apart from his impressive CV, his appointment can only be a good thing in terms of future North-South relations.
His previous employment record also means he is familiar with the policing situation on this part of the island. Perhaps the most important thing in favour of Mr Harris, though, is that he is coming here from a different jurisdiction.
The force’s Phoenix Park HQ has long been perceived – rightly or wrongly – as an insiders’ club. It requires someone from the outside to shake things up.
The Irish Daily Mail is a strong supporter of An Garda Síochána, but we will continue to hold its personnel to account in the most rigorous manner.
Accordingly, Drew Harris can expect no soft treatment from us. But we happily acknowledge that his appointment is a welcome first step in delivering the kind of reform that is so desperately needed.