Drew Harris has expressed his discomfort with being labelled an “outsider,” and described his time as Garda Commissioner as “a great privilege,” reports Breaking News.
Mr Harris’s tenure is set to conclude this month, with Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly expected to assume the role from September.
While speaking at a garda graduation in Templemore, Co Tipperary, Mr Harris emphasised the importance of not letting “any area feel abandoned,” and said a strong Garda presence would help the public “see a difference”, reports Breaking News.
Previously serving as Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI, Mr Harris was asked about public perception of his joining An Garda Síochána and his reflections on that period.
Mr Harris said, “I don’t really like the expression ‘outsider’; it’s an odd expression to apply to an individual who is Irish in the first place, and I’ve never liked it,” reports Breaking News.
He noted his 34 years in policing, largely at senior level, and called the experience “the highlight of my career”.
He said: “When I was here, I was welcomed immediately and, in effect, brought into the organisation and understood the organisation very quickly. There’s things I wanted to do, and there’s certainly work that I had to do around the policing service for the future reforms, which had to be delivered. But I have to say again, my overall experience has been extremely positive. I’m very, very glad I put my application form in,” reports Breaking News.
He added, “It’s been a great privilege. I don’t regret one minute of it,” reports Breaking News.
Reflecting on the last seven years, he said An Garda Síochána has made significant progress, particularly in tackling serious crimes like organised crime and offences against vulnerable individuals, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.
He added: “These are all important areas, and actually areas of growth for policing and crime right across Europe, and we are seeing that we have to respond. So I think our response to that has been very positive, very professional, and we’re starting to see the organisation grow again, and that’s also very positive,” reports Breaking News.
When asked about his future plans, he replied: “Well, I might rest and decompress for a while.”
Attending his final probationer graduation in Templemore on Friday, Mr Harris highlighted that there are currently 14,400 Garda members.
An additional 202 new recruits are set to join the latest intake, bringing the number of Garda trainees at the college to nearly 600, reports Breaking News.
The Justice Minister has set an ambitious goal of recruiting 5,000 new gardaí over five years, averaging 1,000 per year.
Jim O’Callaghan said: “I suppose if you look at the 154 poll we’ve had now, including them, 423 since March, that’s 423 in six months. I suppose the most encouraging news when it comes to numbers is that on Sunday, 202 new recruits are going to start in Templemore. If we can get into a situation where there’s 200 starting in each intake, we’ll be in very strong position in terms of numbers. I’ve never underestimated the task in terms of trying to get 5,000 over the course of the five years. But it is my hope, and I’m optimistic about this, is that we will see more numbers coming in, and we get 200 coming in on Sunday, that’s a good sign,” reports Breaking News.
He added that a team in the Department of Justice is currently exploring the need for a second Garda training college, but said such a step would likely depend on exceeding 200 recruits per intake.
Among the 154 new probationers officially sworn in on Friday, 122 are men, 32 are women, and 26 were born outside of Ireland, reports Breaking News.
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