Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is anticipated that the process will begin in a matter of weeks, before or around the time the call is made for submissions on the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. What is not in the public interest is what is probably the most crucial appointment of a Garda Commissioner in the almost 100-year history of An Garda Síochána not being approached in the right way. It is essential that the appointment be got right and if the Government is serious about the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland - I believe this is the test - we need to get the appointment right. The chairperson of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland wrote to the Minister and the Policing Authority about this matter and said it was unlikely a credible candidate would come forward and apply for the role when there was so much uncertainty hanging over the future of the Garda and the Commissioner's role. As I understand it, she also wrote that so much change was required that it would not be possible to draw up accurately a specification for the role of Garda Commissioner before the group's recommendations were published next September. Furthermore, she maintained that it would be a serious mistake if a Garda Commissioner was appointed without clarity on what the job would entail. This is a crucial appointment and it would be a serious error by the Minister and the Department if they were to proceed with it before this job of work was completed. If we are serious about the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and its ability to transform policing and justice, we should wait and see what it has to state.

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