THE CAMPAIGN TO hire the next Garda Commissioner has begun with a potential  €314,000 wage packet and a candidate does not need to have any policing experience needed, the Minister for Justice has announced.

Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan TD, said the Public Appointments Service had begun the competition to be the next head of An Garda Síochána – known as “Number One” in the organisation.

Candidates from outside of Ireland will be welcomed, a Public Jobs advert states, and there is no need for policing experience. 

The advert on public jobs states: “Applications are welcomed from candidates of an appropriate calibre from policing, security or civilian backgrounds”.

It also states that an honours degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline would be “desirable”. 

O’Callaghan said it is the first recruitment campaign under the controversial new Policing, Security and Community Safety Act.

“The new Garda Commissioner will lead the organisation at a time of ongoing growth, change and reform as the organisation starts to operate under the provisions of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act which implemented the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

“The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. A strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy. €2.48 billion for this year, a 27% increase since 2020, which is supporting the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.

“I expect to be in a position to make a recommendation to the Government in late July,” he said.

Drew Harris, has agreed to extend his term of office to facilitate the competition to appoint his successor. His retirement was due to take effect before the competition was complete. 

The Minister consulted with the new Bord an Garda Síochána and the Policing and Community Safety Authority in developing the selection criteria and recruitment process for this competition.

The new Commissioner will be appointed to a five-year term or until the retirement age of 62. The garda leader will lead a total workforce of nearly 18,000 people, comprising sworn Gardaí, Garda staff and Garda Reserves, the Department of Justice said.

The successful candidate will have a wage packet which will be negotiable up to €314,512.00, “subject to the individual’s pension arrangements”.

The mention of pensions is key because under pension-related tax regulations, most Garda top brass would face a very significant tax liability on retirement.

This would increase significantly if they became Garda Commissioner and served a full term.

It is understood that this liability for most senior officers would be in the region of half a million euros. it would increase to in excess of €1m if they became Commissioner. 

The issue has been identified in recent years and efforts to lobby the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform have fallen on deaf ears. 

The pension related exposure has its origin in rules under the Standard Fund Threshold (SFT). It is specific to large pensions that set a ceiling on what tax reliefs a person can obtain on pensions during their working life in public or private sectors. 

The problem has also been identified for senior department heads across Government. 

The issue already led to a protracted and repeat failure to hire a Deputy Commissioner – which was ultimately filled by Justin Kelly after a rerun of the campaign.