NÓIRÍN O’SULLIVAN GETS TOP POLICING JOB
FORMER Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has been appointed to a new role at an American nonprofit organisation.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police has appointed Ms O’Sullivan as the director of strategic partnerships for Europe, which is a newly created position.
The organisation is based in Virginia, in the United States, and according to a statement on the IACP’s website, it is the first time in the organisation’s history that a staff member will be based outside the United States.
The statement said: ‘Commissioner O’Sullivan brings to the IACP over 30 years of invaluable law enforcement experience. Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has shown an unwavering commitment to the law enforcement profession, and will be a great asset to the association and the global profession.
‘She was the first woman to lead the gardaí in its 92-year history. She has had a long and decorated history within the gardaí, first joining in 1981. The IACP is honoured to have former commissioner O’Sullivan join us. Commissioner O’Sullivan will arrive later in the fall and will be based in Ireland.’
Ms O’Sullivan suddenly retired in September following a string of controversies including the fake breath test scandals, however she insisted that despite the scandals that dogged her, she was not pushed to leave the role.
She insisted she was resign- ing because too much of her time was taken up with ‘an unending cycle of requests, questions, instructions and public hearings’.
She said: ‘The support for me to continue in the role is evident. However, I devoted much of my summer break to considering if continuing would be the right thing to do. It has become clear, over the last year, that the core of my job is now about responding to an unending cycle of requests, questions, instructions and public hearings involving various agencies including the Public Accounts Committee, the Justice and Equality Committee, the Policing Authority, and various other inquiries, and dealing with inaccurate commentary surrounding all of these matters.’
It was reported at the time of her resignation that Ms O’Sullivan was considering a role with EU law enforcement agency Europol, and in her official statement she said that she had been encouraged to apply for the top job with the international force by colleagues abroad. However she did not proceed with the application.
She said: ‘I may decide to take on some other interesting and exciting challenge down the line.’
She added that she plans to retire, spend time with her family and adjust to the next phase of her life.
In an internal message via the Garda portal thanking gardaí for their service she said: ‘Being a guard is the best job in the world. You’re committed to the public good. You’re encountering people at the lowest points in their lives. You can make a difference. As long as you avoid cynicism, you can make a profound difference – for the better – in other people’s lives.’
Dónall Ó Cualáin took over as acting Commissioner following Ms O’Sullivan’s resignation.
He has said that he has no interest in taking over the job on a full-time basis.
The appointment of a new Garda commissioner is expected to take a number of months.
‘Being a guard is the best job’