The Government has announced the appointment of Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly as the next Garda Commissioner, reports RTE.
He will succeed Drew Harris, who took on the role despite not having previously served in An Garda SÃochána.
Kelly is set to assume the position when Commissioner Harris steps down on 1 September, reports RTE.
Deputy Commissioner Kelly has dedicated more than 30 years to An Garda SÃochána across various ranks and was named Deputy Commissioner for Security, Strategy and Governance last October.
Before that, he served as assistant commissioner for Serious and Organised Crime, overseeing national units and inquiries related to drug and organised crime, cybercrime, economic offenses, immigration matters, and crimes involving vulnerable individuals, reports RTE.
His earlier roles include time with the Operational Counter-Terrorism Unit, the Special Detective Unit, and the National Protective Services Bureau. He also worked as a uniformed garda, sergeant, and inspector in Dublin areas such as Clondalkin, Blanchardstown, and Tallaght.
Kelly holds a degree from UCD, an MBA from DCU, a master’s in Serious Crime Investigation from the University of Limerick, and a master’s in Criminal Justice from John Jay College in New York. He also completed the strategic command course at the UK College of Policing, reports RTE.
In 2021, he was seconded to the United Nations in Bosnia Herzegovina, where he helped assess and strengthen the capabilities of local policing services.
Commissioner Harris stated that his “extensive experience and expertise in leading a wide-range of operational and organisational areas will be of immeasurable benefit to him as Commissioner, reports RTE.
“Justin has over 30 years of dedicated and highly professional service in An Garda SÃochána. During this time, he has held many significant portfolios preventing and tackling crime and terrorism. This has included senior roles in the areas of national security, cyber-crime, organised crime, and domestic and sexual violence,” Commissioner Harris added, reports RTE.
“I look forward to working with Justin in the weeks leading up to him becoming Garda Commissioner in September 2025. Personally, I want to wish him and his family all the best in him leading this great organisation and continuing its mission of keeping people safe,” Commissioner Harris added, reports RTE.
The Garda Representative Association issued a statement congratulating Mr Kelly on his new role.
“Commissioner Kelly has had a long and distinguished career in An Garda SÃochána and is well aware of the concerns and unique challenges that each member of rank faces on a daily basis,” General Secretary Ronan Slevin said, reports RTE.
Mr Slevin has called on Mr Kelly to make the recruitment and retention crisis a top priority, calling it a “major challenge”.
While speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime, he noted that he would urge Mr Kelly to advocate to the Government for improvements to the current “terms and conditions” to make the force more appealing to prospective recruits, reports RTE.
“We are losing close to 400 to 500 members every year. I think that certain small changes to the current policy and direction in which An Garda SÃochána is going could address at least 100 to 200 of those,” Mr Slevin said, reports RTE.
“If we manage to keep 100 to 200 extra guards in the force a year it would be going a long way to try and increase the numbers we have.”
Mr Slevin mentioned he has formally written to Mr Kelly, requesting a meeting to raise the association’s issues, reports RTE.
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