From border policing to community policing: Local chief superintendent reflects on how policing has changed in his 40 years of service with An Garda Síochána
Aidan Glacken - the current chief superintendent of the SligoLeitrim divison - marked 40 years with An Garda Síochána this year. He spoke to Alan Finn about the changes he has seen in policing since 1983 including the prominence of border policing in the
A LOT can change in society in the space of 40 years.
The ability to adapt and evolve is essential to just about any organisation’s ability to survive and thrive and that includes An Garda Síochána which just recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
A serving member for 40 of those years has been Sligo’s own Aidan Glacken, a native of Carraroe who became this region’s Chief Superintendent in 2017.
Shortly after finishing his studies
Gardai had to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic in unique ways. One such way was Garda Conor McNulty making sure guide dog Rhum was getting a regular walk while his owner could not bring him during the most stringent health guidelines. at Summerhill College, he pursued a career with An Garda Síochána which has taken him all over the couintry in a variety of roles.
Aidan has seen plenty of change in the organisation in 1983 with the ethos of how policing is conducted in Ireland changing, and in his view, changing for the better.
Reflecting first and foremost on his own milestone and offering an insight on his background with An Garda Síochána, he said: “I left Sligo in 1983 to join An Garda Síochána and celebrated 40 years of personal service in September. I worked all over the country, I was head of strategic transformation and I have been a chief superintendent in four divisions so I have had a wide bredth of experience and I still enjoy my work after 40 years, I still find the positive impact we have on communities is as rewarding now as it was when I started.
“When the opportunity arose to come back to Sligo in December 2017 I was glad to take it. I have been here ever since and in the last 12 months I have had responsibility for Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal and for a period of time I had responsibility for Cavan and Monaghan as well. I also have national roles in lecturing at the Garda College and I also work on national change projects. I am the president of the association of chief superintendents in Ireland and a member of the international association of chief superintendents.”
Community is a word the chief superintendent regularly used during this interview, and with good reason as he outlined why it is the cornerstone of policing in Ireland in 2023 – and in a sense, it has been a driving force of policing in Ireland since its formation. “Last year An Garda Síochána celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. That was significant because when you reflect on when it was established there was a civil war going on, there was a lot of firearms in the country and some brave people had the foresight to found a policing organisation which carries out its duties unarmed and police using moral authority and not a force of arms. That is the bedrock of policing in Ireland and it is something I am keen to continue. I am a firm believer that the best way to police is through presence and communication.”
Looking back in policing in 1983, Aidan recalls how the border was pivotal and how an infamous, high profile incident in Sligo in 1979 likely played a big part in it becoming such a major focal point of policing when he joined – and how it has since drastically shifted in a more positive way. “The heinous murder of Lord Mountbatten was probably a watershed moment in terms of the willingness of people to be absolutely reckless in inflicting pain, hurt and damage. It impacted everybody in this area. Policing in Sligo was dominated by the border for many years and that