Garda Commissioner Drew Harris welcomed into post
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has been officially welcomed into his new role by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.
Commissioner Harris, the former deputy chief constable of the PSNI, met with Mr Flanagan in his office on his first day in the job.
They were joined by Aidan O’Driscoll, who was also on his first day in the role of secretary general of the Department of Justice.
Commenting after the meeting, Mr Flanagan said: “I was pleased to welcome Commissioner Harris to my office today to discuss the Government’s policing priorities with him on his first day in office.
“Our wide ranging discussion reflected the nature of the challenges facing police forces today and ranged from gangland crime to rural policing, Garda visibility, cybercrime, roads policing, White Collar Crime, and overall public safety. We discussed accountability and the importance of the Garda reform programme which will ensure world class policing.”
The minister added that they “looked ahead to the forthcoming report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland which will set out a new vision of policing in Ireland later this month”.
Mr Flanagan continued: “I assured Commissioner Harris of my support as he goes about his challenging and important role.
“Today is an important day in the history of An Garda Síochána and the organisation has every reason to look to the future with optimism. Later this week I will join the Commissioner in Templemore where around 200 new recruits will formally join the ranks as we continue to rebuild the organisation.”