The Irish government today (Tuesday 29th July 2005) has announced the appointment of Mr Justin Kelly to the post of Garda Commissioner for a term of five years with effect from September 1st next.
The recruitment process for the new Garda Commissioner was the first undertaken under section 26 of the new Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 which commenced in April. A three-week recruitment campaign was held by publicjobs.ie (formerly the Public Appointments Service) in May last, including an international search for suitable candidates, which resulted in 14 candidates. The selection process included two interviews and a presentation by candidates as well as a detailed psychometric assessment.
Deputy Commissioner Mr Justin Kelly was selected as the preferred candidate and recommended for appointment and he was today appointed by the Government as Commissioner with effect from September 1st next.
Outgoing Commissioner Mr Drew Harris will continue to lead An Garda Síochána until the September date, at which time he will retire after 41 years of service to policing on the island of Ireland, including a total of seven years as Garda Commissioner.
A native of Dublin, Deputy Commissioner Kelly has more than 30 years policing experience and was appointed to his current role as Deputy Commissioner Security, Strategy and Governance in October 2024 last. He has a strong background, both academically and in operational policing, particularly in relation to combatting organised crime groups and safeguarding the security of the State.
In his previous role, as Assistant Commissioner/Serious and Organised Crime, he was responsible for leading the national policing response in areas of drugs and organised crime, cybercrime, economic crime, immigration and crimes against vulnerable persons. He was the strategic lead for the development of capacity and organisational policy in areas connected with serious crime investigation.
From 2020 to 2022 he was Detective Chief Superintendent, leading the Operational Counter-Terrorism Unit, the Special Detective Unit. He was previously Detective Superintendent, Garda National Protective Services Bureau, as well as a Detective Inspector, Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and a front-line Inspector in the Blanchardstown and Clondalkin areas of Dublin.
Career History.
1992 – 2017:- Garda, Sergeant and Inspector ranks.
Aug 2017 – Oct 2020:- Detective Superintendent, Garda National Protective Services Bureau.
Oct 2020 – May 2022:- Detective Chief Superintendent, Special Detective Unit.
May 2022 – Oct 2024:- Assistant Commissioner, Organized and Serious Crime.
Oct 2024 to current date:- Deputy Commissioner, Security, Strategy and Governance.
Education.
2006 – BCL (2:1), UCD.
2010 – MA Criminal Justice (First Class Hons), John Jay College, New York City (recipient of the 2009 McCabe Fellowship).
2019 – MBA (2:1), Dublin City University.
2019 – Professional Certificate in Governance (First Class Hons), Institute of Public Administration.
2019 – MA Serious Crime Investigation (First Class Hons), University of Limerick
2020 – Strategic Command Course – four-month senior police leadership programme, College of Policing, UK.
The salary for the Garda Commissioner role is currently €314,512, reflecting both the size and unique complexity of leading An Garda Síochána, which is a very large policing service with over 18,000 employees, and includes lead responsibility for the security of the State.
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