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79-453: It was established on 1 October 2005 to replace and reorganise the previous reserve organisation, and to improve training and courses along the lines of the regular, full-time Permanent Defence Forces (PDF). This reorganisation saw the creation of an overriding Reserve Defence Forces structure which spans both the Army and Naval Service Reserve. Prior to the 2005 restructure, the land component of

158-613: A "guard", and is typically addressed as such by members of the public when on duty. A police station is called a garda station . Garda is also the name of the lowest rank within the force (e.g. " Garda John Murphy", analogous to the British term " constable " or the American " officer ", " deputy ", " trooper ", etc.). A female officer was once officially referred to as a bangharda ( pronounced [ˈbˠanˠˌɣaːɾˠd̪ˠə] ; "female guard"; plural banghardaí ). This term

237-773: A Chief Administrative Officer with responsibility for resource management (personnel, finance, Information and Communications Technology, and accommodation). A few functions, including the Office of Corporate Communications and the Internal Audit Section, report directly to the Commissioner's Office. There is an assistant commissioner for each of the four geographical regions, along with a number dealing with other national support functions. The four geographical Garda regions, each overseen by an assistant commissioner, are: At an equivalent or near-equivalent level to

316-472: A community policing service. Special units exist for specific areas of work such as organised crime prevention, migration management and cyber crime, and there is a central Garda technical bureau , a mounted unit and a canine unit . The service has its own college . Members of the Garda Síochána are not free to join general trade unions but are represented by four rank-based organisations; there

395-408: A designated specialised military task and soldiers must learn the various skills used by their corps. All soldiers are taught to operate radio communications, map reading, CBRN warfare defence and the light machine gun, and can move on to courses such as reconnaissance ("recce course"), driving courses, Regimental Signallers course, Physical Training Leader and Specialist Instructor Course. Steps up

474-473: A distinctive uniform, darker than the ordinary uniform, with black boots, leggings, belts, chromium buttons and badges and forage caps. Territorially these early volunteer/reserve forces were divided into regimental areas, which took their names from the ancient Irish kingdoms where they were raised; In response to the various security threats posed during World War II , known in Ireland as The Emergency ,

553-485: A new reserve force – the Local Security Force (LSF) – was created on 28 May 1940 as an auxiliary police service. Instituted under a Garda Síochána Act, its activities were to be devoted to auxiliary police and internal security work. Recruiting forms were dispatched to Garda stations on 31 May 1940 and by 16 June of the same year 44,870 members were enrolled. On 22 June 1940 a decision was taken to divide

632-404: A number of districts, each commanded by a superintendent assisted by a team of inspectors . Each district contains a number of sub-districts, which are usually commanded by sergeants . Typically each subdistrict contains only one Garda station . A different number of Gardaí are based at each station depending on its importance. Most of these stations employ the basic rank of Garda , which

711-572: A rapid demobilisation and reorganisation within a small period. The Regular Army was now composed of three Brigades. In 1947 all reserve forces were disestablished and in their place were created the First Line Reserve (FLR) and the Second Line Reserve – An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA) (Local Defence Force). The basic principles underlying this establishment were that; This organisation remained until 1959 when "integration"

790-480: A reality but dismissed the suggestion that this was currently being considered. In 2012, O'Toole was succeeded by Robert K. Olson. Over 2000 complaints were made against the organisation in 2009, with a similar number of complaints by 2017. The Garda Commissioner referred over 100 incidents where the conduct of a garda resulted in death or serious injury to the Ombudsman for investigation. Also newly instrumented,

869-832: A result of the reconstitution of the Council of Defence. The President of Ireland , a largely ceremonial role, is considered the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces. In practice, the Minister acts on the President's behalf and reports to the Irish Government. The Minister for Defence is advised by the Council of Defence on the business of the Department of Defence. The Minister is assisted by

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948-693: A section of the SDU, are deployed on more than 100 VIP protection duties per year. Prior to the creation of the Irish Free State, policing in Ireland had been undertaken by the quasi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), with a separate and unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP). These were joined in 1919 by a parallel security force loyal to the provisional government, the Irish Republican Police . The early years of

1027-590: A survey of accommodation available for refugees, and the provision of patrols to enforce the regulations governing the movement of cattle on outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease . As noted above, this was the "A" Group of the LSF that had been transferred to the Army in January 1941. With its military status and responsibility, it was integrated into the combat organisations under full military discipline. The main LDF weapons were

1106-700: Is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Defence . The current Minister for Defence is Micheál Martin , TD . He is also Minister for Foreign Affairs . The department is responsible for the Irish Defence Forces . The Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 assigned the minister the additional title of Commander-in-Chief as the Chairman of the Council of Defence . The Defence Act 1954 removed this title, as

1185-735: Is also an association for retired members of the force. The service was originally named the Civic Guard in English, but in 1923 it became the Garda Síochána in both English and Irish. This title has been maintained in recent legislation. This is usually translated as "the Guardians of the Peace". Garda Síochána na hÉireann ("of Ireland", pronounced [ˈɡaːɾˠd̪ə ˈʃiːxaːn̪ˠə n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ] ) appears on its logo but

1264-495: Is an armed unit. Unmarked patrol cars are also used in the course of regular, traffic and other duties. Specialist units, such as the ERU, use armoured vehicles for special operations. The Garda Fleet management Section manages the vehicles, totalling approximately 2,750 in 2019, which are located in the various Garda Divisions and specialist units. In the first week of November 2014, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald obtained

1343-546: Is only available for former Regular Army Officers, and professional graduates such as Engineers, Architects, Doctors and Dentists. Lieutenant Colonel is the most senior rank in the Reserve forces. The personnel weapons used are the standard Platoon and Company level weapons of the Irish Defence Forces. Minister for Defence (Ireland) The Minister for Defence ( Irish : An tAire Cosanta )

1422-897: Is seldom used elsewhere. At that time, there was a vogue for naming the new institutions of the Irish Free State after counterparts in the French Third Republic ; the term "guardians of the peace" ( gardiens de la paix , literally 'peacekeepers') had been used since 1870 in French-speaking countries to designate civilian police forces as distinguished from the armed gendarmery , notably municipal police in France, communal guards in Belgium and cantonal police in Switzerland. The full official title of

1501-575: The Anglo-Irish War , while serving with the DMP. Broy was depicted in the film Michael Collins as having been arrested and killed by SIS agents during the Irish War of Independence , when in reality he lived till 1972 and headed the Garda Síochána from 1933 to 1938. Broy was followed by Commissioners Michael Kinnane (1938–52) and Daniel Costigan (1952–65). The first Commissioner to rise from

1580-464: The Defence Acts . In the years following the establishment of the Defence Forces, various classes of Army Reserves were experimented with. Between 1927 and 1939, these comprised several reserve classes. In May 1927, the " Class A Reserve " was established and consisted of regular non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and men transferred to the Reserve. Though numbers never exceeded 5,000, they were

1659-511: The Garda Commissioner . The Commissioner is also protected by the unit. All cabinet ministers are afforded armed protection at heightened levels of risk when deemed necessary by Garda Intelligence , and their places of work and residences are monitored. Former Presidents and Taoisigh are protected if their security is under threat, otherwise they only receive protection on formal state occasions. The Emergency Response Unit (ERU),

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1738-603: The Garda Síochána is organised into four geographical regions: the East, North/West, South and Dublin Metropolitan regions, in turn broken into divisions, districts and sub-districts. The service is the main law enforcement and security agency in the state, acting at local and national levels. Its roles include crime detection and prevention, drug enforcement, road traffic enforcement and accident investigation, diplomatic and witness protection responsibilities; it also provides

1817-591: The Lord Lieutenant in Dublin Castle . The Garda Síochána (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923 enacted after the creation of the Irish Free State on 8 August 1923, provided for the creation of "a force of police to be called and known as 'The Garda Síochána ' ". Under section 22, The Civic Guard were deemed to have been established under and to be governed by the Act. The law therefore effectively renamed

1896-864: The Minister for Justice . With limited training of 128 hours, these duties and powers must be executed under the supervision of regular members of the Service; they are also limited concerning those of regular members. The first batch of 36 Reserve Gardaí graduated on 15 December 2006 at the Garda College , in Templemore . Having reached a strength of over 1,100 in 2014, as of October 2016, there were 789 Garda Reserve members, with further training scheduled for 2017, however numbers have fallen since then, to under 460 as of 2021, and under 400 by 2023. A garda allocated to detective duties, up to and including

1975-542: The Minister of State at the Department of Defence , Jennifer Carroll MacNeill , TD. Garda S%C3%ADoch%C3%A1na The Garda Síochána ( Irish pronunciation: [ənˠ ˈɡaːɾˠd̪ˠə ˈʃiːxaːn̪ˠə] ; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Ireland . It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí ( pronounced [ˈɡaːɾˠd̪ˠiː] ; "Guardians") or "

2054-533: The Oriel House CID were killed or died of wounds during the Irish Civil War . The Garda Roll of Honor lists 89 Garda members killed between 1922 and 2020 . The first Commissioner, Michael Staines, who was a Pro-Treaty member of Dáil Éireann , held office for only eight months. It was his successors, Eoin O'Duffy and Éamon Broy , who played a central role in the development of

2133-719: The Steyr AUG 5.56mm assault rifle to qualify as a 2 Star Private. 3 Star training includes navigation, training on the FN MAG general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), fieldcraft , combat first aid, public order training and tactical training, which takes place on weekends, "field days" and "parade nights" and there is also a requirement to undergo at least 14 continuous days full-time paid training. The recruit to fully trained 3* soldier syllabus now takes 2 years part-time to complete. After recruit training, soldiers then undergo continuation training in their respective corps, each corps has

2212-621: The Armed Support Unit are trained in Sig Pistol, H&K MP7 Sub-machine gun, Taser and 40mm direct impact munitions (Less Lethal options)". In early April 2019, the Garda Representative Association called for 24-hour armed support units in every division across Ireland. In response, Minister Flanagan noted that "gardaí have had armed support for a long number of years. One of the great attributes of

2291-572: The Army upon mobilisation. The Volunteer Force was the first scheme to make provision for recruitment into all arms of the service. It also provided for the special training of non-commissioned officers and the training of NCOs for commissions. The inclusion of civilian committees (known as Sluaghs ) to help recruiting and administration at a local level was a feature of the Force. The Sluaghs however gradually disappeared and were replaced by committees composed solely of Volunteers. The Volunteers had

2370-484: The Command and control of the Army and was given the new title of "The Local Defence Force"/"LDF" ( An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil / FCA ). The "B" Group continued as an auxiliary police force and retained its old name – "The Local Security Force" (LSF). From the military point of view the LDF was the equivalent of many additional battalions to the Defence Forces. The LSF was organised in groups around each Garda Station. It

2449-712: The DMP. In Dublin , policing remained the responsibility of the DMP (founded 1836) until it merged with the Garda Síochána in 1925. Since then, the Garda has been the only civil police service in the state now known as Ireland. Other police forces with limited powers are the Military Police within the Irish Defence Forces , the Airport Police Service , and Dublin Harbour Police and Dún Laoghaire Harbour Police forces. The headquarters,

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2528-559: The Defence Forces annual fitness test, annual personal weapons test (APWT) and complete a minimum amount of mandays and duties with their unit. There are eight Army Corps, organised along the lines of the PDF under 1st Brigade , 2nd Brigade , DFTC and DFHQ; The Irish Army Reserve is organised along the same rank and command structures as the Permanent Defence Forces, however there are some differences. All ranks within

2607-776: The Defence Forces career ladder include the Potential Non-Commissioned Officer's course, designed to teach the fundamentals of leadership, the Standard Non-Commissioned Officer course to move from being a Junior to Senior NCO and to prepare NCOs for middle management, and the Potential Commissioned Officer course. In order to be considered operationally ready (and as criteria to join career progression and promotion courses), personnel must meet annual KPIs including being passed medically fit, passing

2686-852: The ERU. In December 2018, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan provided updated specifics. "Training is provided by Firearms Instructors attached to the Garda College and the Emergency Response Unit under the control of the Director of Training, Garda College. ... there are approximately 2700 personnel that are currently authorised to carry firearms. This can increase to approx. 3500 depending on operational requirements. ... Members attached to regular units and Detective units are trained in handguns only, namely Smith & Wesson revolver, Sig Sauer & Walther semi-automatic pistol. Specialist Units such as Emergency Response Unit and

2765-640: The Eastern Command Infantry Force (ECIF). A new command structure was set up for the FCA with a Directorate of Reserve Forces. The Army Reserve was deployed to aid its regular counterparts in support of the Garda Síochána along the border with Northern Ireland during the conflict known as the Troubles (1969–1998). Confirmed by the Minister for Defence in Dáil Éireann on 15 May 1991,

2844-703: The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (referred to colloquially as the Garda Ombudsman or simply abbreviated to GSOC) replaces the earlier system of complaints (the Garda Síochána Complaints Board). Becoming fully operational on 9 May 2007, the commission is empowered to: The commission's first chairman was Kevin Haugh (a High Court Judge) who died in early 2009, shortly before his term of office

2923-470: The Gardaí in searches for reported parachutists, missing persons, and crashed aircraft. They kept a watch for floating mines and provided cordons when required. They also assisted in policing at two General Elections. Assistance to other Government Departments was also provided, and included the distribution to households of tea rationing forms and ration books (March 1941), census of turf cutting (July 1941),

3002-654: The Guards ". The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner , who is appointed by the Irish Government . Its headquarters are in Dublin 's Phoenix Park . Since the formation of the Garda Síochána in 1923, it has been a predominantly unarmed force , and more than three quarters of the service do not routinely carry firearms. As of February 2023, the police service had 14,470 sworn members (including 371 sworn Reserve members) and 3,348 civilian staff. Operationally,

3081-736: The Irish Defence Forces to conduct a special study on the restructuring of the Reserve Defence Forces. The report was completed in May 1999. On 1 October 2005 the FCA was stood down and the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF), consisting of the Army Reserve and Naval Service Reserve, was established. In 2013 a major reorganisation was carried out that implemented the 'Single Force Concept' whereby RDF sub-units would now be attached to PDF Army units. As of January 2021, reservists had carried out 1,391 duties relating to "Operation Fortitude",

3160-588: The Phoenix Park Depot in Dublin, consists of a series of buildings; the first of these were occupied in 1839 by the new Constabulary. Over subsequent years, additional buildings were added, including a riding school, chapel, infirmary and cavalry barracks; all are now used for other purposes. The new Garda Síochána started to occupy the Depot in early 1923. The facility also included a training centre but that

3239-477: The Reserve Defence Forces are enlisted as recruits. Potential officers are chosen from the non-commissioned ranks - normally only Corporal and Sergeant ranks are selected - but recently any rank holding a "relevant degree" can apply. The Potential Officers course is run over 2 years and is run out of the DFTC Military College . There is some Direct Entry routes for officers in the Reserve. This

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3318-412: The Reserve Defence Forces undergo recruit training on a part-time basis, receiving professional military training. This training takes place mostly on weekends, weekday evenings and annual full-time training (FTT). Recruits must also undergo full-time paid training for at least 2 continuous weeks in a year and pass proficiency tests on foot drill, arms drill, tactics, physical fitness and rifle training with

3397-480: The [Garda Síochána], is the fact that it is in the main an unarmed police service. I think that's good and I would be concerned at attempts to ensure that the arming of the gardaí becomes commonplace." He did not support the GRA demands on a country-wide basis: "I think there is merit in ensuring that at a regional level, there can be an armed response should the circumstances warrant. And I'm thinking particularly in Drogheda where currently we have an armed support unit on

3476-406: The approval of the Irish Cabinet for the General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2014, intended to create a new independent policing authority, in what she described as the 'most far-reaching reform’ of the Garda Síochána since the State was founded in 1922. The draft bill proposed that state security would remain the responsibility of the Minister for Justice and outside the remit of

3555-446: The assistant commissioners are such figures as the Chief Medical Officer, and the civilian executive directors, heading Information and Communications Technology, Finance and Services, Strategy and Transformation, Legal, and Human Resources and People Development. Directly subordinate to the assistant commissioners are approximately 40 chief superintendents , about half of whom supervise what are called divisions . Each division contains

3634-524: The best trained of the reserves, with over 80% reporting annually for training. In January 1928, the " Class B Reserve " was formed, with the object of building up the infantry arm of the Defence Forces – on a voluntary basis. Its conditions of service were three months of initial training, followed by one months' annual training with liability for six years Reserve service. It was not a success however, never exceeding 3,600 in strength, and had practically ceased to exist by 1934. The " Volunteer Reserve Force "

3713-434: The existing force. The seven-week Civic Guard Mutiny began in May 1922, when Garda recruits took over the Kildare Depot. It resulted in Michael Staines' resignation in September. During the Civil War of 1922–23, the new Free State set up the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as an armed, plain-clothed counter-insurgency unit. It was disbanded after the end of the war in October 1923 and elements of it were absorbed into

3792-436: The first line had to undergo initial training along with a commitment to thirty days annual training, and reached a maximum strength of 10,578 by April 1935. On 1 September 1939 the strength was 257 officers and 6,986 other ranks. The second line consisted of personnel who had been trained in the first line and had been transferred. The third line was intended to be a reserve of specialists in civilian life who would be of value to

3871-405: The force into two groups; By August 1940 the strength had risen to 148,306 and by October of the same year detailed organisations for each group were issued and District Staffs were formed. By the end of 1940 the Army had more or less completed its expansion to a war-time footing and was then in a position to take over the control of "A" Group from the Gardaí. On 1 January 1941 it was handed over to

3950-445: The fourth iteration of the Garda uniform was launched. It dispensed with formal shirts and ties, substituting a "sky blue" polo shirt, worn with loose-fitting "operational trousers", and a yellow-and-dark-navy waterproof jacket. A tie is available for formal occasions, and the Garda hat from previous versions of the uniform is retained. Alternative head and other coverings, such as the turban, kippah and hijab, are provided for. The uniform

4029-448: The military's contribution to Ireland's response to the COVID-19 pandemic . Enlistment is open to EU and EEA citizens between the ages of 18 and 35, provided they are ordinarily resident in Ireland, can pass a fitness examination, medical examination, are of good character, obtain a security clearance, and also to non-EU citizens who have been continuously legally resident in the state for at least three years. All enlisted members of

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4108-414: The new authority. The first chairperson-designate of the new authority was the outgoing Revenue Commissioners chairperson Josephine Feehily. Under Section 115 of the Garda Síochána Act, the Garda Síochána Inspectorate consists of three members who are appointed by the Irish Government. The functions of the Inspectorate, inter alia , are as follows: The first Chief Inspector (since July 2006),

4187-437: The new state saw a gradual process of incorporating these various pre-existing forces into a single centralised, nationwide and civilian organisation. The Civic Guard was formed by the Provisional Government in February 1922 to take over the responsibility of policing the fledgeling Irish Free State. It replaced the RIC and the Irish Republican Police of 1919–22. In August 1922 the force accompanied Michael Collins when he met

4266-408: The organisation is structured as follows: The Garda Síochána Act 2005 provided for the establishment of a Garda Reserve to assist the force in performing its functions and supplement the work of members of the Garda Síochána. The intent of the Garda Reserve is "to be a source of local strength and knowledge". Reserve members are to carry out duties defined by the Garda Commissioner and sanctioned by

4345-432: The other two units. The units were disbanded in 1935. The " Volunteer Force " was established in March 1934. Apart from basic military requirements there was a political consideration in its formation. Fianna Fáil , who had assumed power in 1932, were anxious that the Army should be more representative of the different political persuasions in the country. Since 1924, the Army had been composed of pro- Treaty supporters. It

4424-468: The people." This reflected the approach in the Dublin Metropolitan Police , which had also been unarmed, but did not extend to the CID detective branch , who were armed from the outset. According to Tom Garvin such a decision gave the new force a cultural ace: "the taboo on killing unarmed men and women who could not reasonably be seen as spies and informers". The Garda Síochána is primarily an unarmed force; however, detectives and certain units such as

4503-435: The police service is rarely used in speech. How it is referred to depends on the register being used. It is variously known as An Garda Síochána ; the Garda Síochána ; the Garda ; the Gardaí (plural); and it is popularly called "the guards". Although Garda is singular, in these terms it is used as a collective noun , like police . An individual officer is called a garda (plural gardaí ), or less formally,

4582-402: The rank of chief superintendent, is a detective and the word detective ( Irish : Bleachtaire ) is prefixed to their rank (e.g. detective sergeant, bleachtaire sáirsint ). The detective moniker is not a rank but rather a role identification, a detective Garda and a Garda are the same rank. As of 31 December 2022, 2,401 Gardaí were on Detective duty, about one-sixth of the total. In 2022,

4661-428: The regional Armed Support Units (ASU) and the national Emergency Response Unit (ERU) are commissioned to carry firearms and do so. A website managed by the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa notes that there are "no specific legal provisions on use of firearms by the Gardaí, which is predominantly an unarmed police service. Instead, the law provides an exemption from licensing requirements under

4740-454: The reserve forces was known as the Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil ( FCA ) (local defence force), which in turn has its origins in the units formed in the 1920s. Army Reserve elements are now integrated with PDF units, under the "Single Force" framework. In times of crisis or emergency, Reservists are liable to be called up for permanent service within the state or outside it by the Minister for Defence or Government of Ireland in accordance with

4819-400: The rifle, bayonet and grenade. The organisation was mostly one of rifle companies and platoons. In 1942 the LDF strength was 98,429. In 1943 this rose to 103,530. And in 1944 it was at 96,152. These strengths were regarded as being effective and may reflect a rise and fall as the European battle front approached or receded from Irish shores. A post-war establishment of 12,500 in all ranks saw

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4898-401: The role of the FCA units changed. They were now to be tasked with local defence and security, reinforcement of Army units with trained manpower, and the replacement of Army units in Barracks should the need arise. Females were inducted into selected units of the FCA in 1991 and from 1993 all units were permitted to recruit females. In 1997, a Steering Group was convened by the Chief of Staff of

4977-420: The service. O'Duffy was Commissioner in the early years of the service when to many people's surprise the viability of an unarmed police service was established. O'Duffy later became a short-lived political leader of the quasi-fascist Blueshirts before heading to Spain to fight alongside Francisco Franco 's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War . Broy had greatly assisted the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during

5056-549: The soldier who was trained to act as part of a team, the LSF member acted more like a policeman and therefore more emphasis was placed on training to enable him to act alone. In the cities and large towns their systems of patrols and beats were designed to coincide with times of local crime peaks. A survey of 200 commendations issued to members include the detection of such crimes as housebreaking, larceny, dangerous driving, saving of life from burning buildings, assistance to Gardaí in need of assistance and others. They also assisted

5135-408: The street in order to meet head-on what is a particularly nasty challenge." Garda patrol cars are white in colour, with a fluorescent yellow and blue battenberg type marking, accompanied by the Garda crest as livery. Full or partial battenburg markings are used on traffic or roads policing vehicles. RSU/ASU vehicles also have Battenburg markings - as well as a red stripe denoting the fact that it

5214-613: The various Firearms Acts for a member of the Garda Síochána when on duty". The armed officers serve as a support to regular Gardaí. Armed units were established in response to a rise in the number of armed incidents dealt with by regular members. To be issued with a firearm, or to carry a firearm whilst on duty, a member must be in possession of a valid gun card, and cannot wear a regular uniform. Armed Gardaí carry SIG Sauer P226 and Walther P99 C semi-automatic pistols . In addition to issued pistols, less-lethal weapons such as tasers and large pepper spray canisters are carried also by

5293-411: The widow of Jerry McCabe, a garda who was killed by armed Provisional IRA bank robbers – accepted the Scott Medal for Bravery that had been awarded posthumously to her husband. The Irish Republican Police had at least one member killed by the RIC on 21 July 1920. The Civic Guard had one killed by accident 22 September 1922 and another was killed in March 1923 by Frank Teeling . Likewise 4 members of

5372-437: Was Garda James Mulroy . Other notable recipients include Garda Patrick Malone of St. Luke's in Cork City who – as an unarmed Garda – disarmed Tomás Óg Mac Curtain (the son of Tomás Mac Curtain ). To mark the United States link, the American English spelling of valor is used on the medal. The Garda Commissioner chooses the recipients of the medal, which is presented by the Minister for Justice. In 2000, Anne McCabe –

5451-532: Was abolished in 1990, but is still used colloquially in place of the gender-neutral garda . Colloquially, as a slang or derogatory term, they are sometimes referred to in certain areas of Ireland as "the shades". The service, which is operationally independent of the Government, Department of Justice and the Policing Authority , is headed by the Garda Commissioner , whose immediate subordinates are two deputy commissioners – in charge of "Policing and Security" and "Governance & Strategy", respectively – and

5530-470: Was armed, but the Provisional Government reversed the decision and reconstituted the service as an unarmed police service. This was in contrast to the attitude of the British Dublin Castle administration , which refused appeals from the Royal Irish Constabulary that the service be disarmed. In the words of first Commissioner, Michael Staines , TD , "the Garda Síochána will succeed not by force of arms or numbers, but on their moral authority as servants of

5609-422: Was established in Autumn 1929. No initial training was required – instead members attended parade once weekly, with four weekend camps per year along with fifteen days annual training. It was divided into three units, one Battalion in Dublin , an Artillery Battery in Cork and an Officer Training Corps in third-level universities. A total of 1,229 enlisted in the Officer Training College (OTC), while 987 enlisted in

5688-626: Was for force members of the ranks of Garda, sergeant and inspector, with no change for those of superintendent rank or above. The original Garda uniform featured a high "night helmet" and cape, as was then used in the UK. There were changes to colouration of both fabric and buttons in 1987. Most uniformed members of the Garda Síochána do not routinely carry firearms . Individual gardaí have been issued ASP extendable batons and pepper spray as their standard issue weapons while handcuffs are provided as restraints. The service, when originally created,

5767-828: Was former Commissioner of Boston Police , Kathleen M. O'Toole . She reported directly to the Minister for Justice. From 2006 to 2009, O'Toole was supported by two other inspectors, Robert Olsen and Gwen M. Boniface . Olsen was Chief of Police for 8 years of the Minneapolis Police Department. Boniface is a former Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police and was one of 3 female police commissioners in Canada when appointed in May 1998. She suggested that rank and file Gardaí were not equipped to perform their duties or protect themselves properly. She also suggested that routine arming may become

5846-482: Was hoped that this new force would attract men who would be considered anti-Treaty in outlook. To this end a number of men who had prominent anti-Treaty records in the Civil War were commissioned at the initial stages as Administrative Officers. On 6 November 1935 the " Pearse Regiment " was added. Named after Pádraig Pearse , this force consisted of three lines of Reserve with varying conditions of service. Those of

5925-540: Was introduced by which the FCA was integrated with the Regular Army. Six Brigades of mixed Regular and FCA units, each with only one Regular Battalion were established with the intention that the remaining units would be filled by FCA personnel upon mobilisation. In 1979 there was a change in the structure and role of the FCA which had existed since the 1959 integration. The six integrated Infantry Brigades were reduced to four Permanent Defence Force (PDF) Brigades and

6004-749: Was moved to McCan Barracks , Templemore, County Tipperary in the 1960s; it is now the Garda Síochána College. First awarded in 1923, the Scott Medal for Bravery is the highest honour for bravery and valour awarded to a member of the Garda Síochána. The first medals were funded by Colonel Walter Scott, an honorary Commissioner of the New York Police Department . The first recipient of the Scott Medal

6083-430: Was organised into sections and squads and its general duties consisted of traffic control, communications, protective duties, transport, and first aid . While other elements of the Defence Forces devoted most of their time to training, the LSF, while training was important, were required to devote much of their time to actual work. Police duties, patrolling and observation were important aspects of their activities. Unlike

6162-756: Was referred to as the rank of Guard until 1972. The most junior members of the service are students, whose duties can vary depending on their training progress. They are often assigned clerical duties as part of their extracurricular studies. The Garda organisation also has more than 3,000 civilian support staff (not sworn police officers). working across a range of areas such as human resources, occupational health services, finance and procurement, internal audit, IT and telecommunications, accommodation and fleet management, as well as aspects of scene-of-crime support, research and analysis, training and general administration. The figure also includes industrial staff such as traffic wardens, drivers and cleaners. As of September 2023,

6241-574: Was to conclude. The Garda Special Detective Unit (SDU) are primarily responsible for providing armed close protection to senior officials in Ireland. They provide full-time armed protection and transport for the President , Taoiseach , Tánaiste , Minister for Justice , Attorney General , Chief Justice , Director of Public Prosecutions , ambassadors and diplomats deemed 'at risk', as well as foreign dignitaries visiting Ireland and citizens deemed to require armed protection as designated so by

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