It is usual for police officers take an oath to uphold the law. The following is a selection from different countries.
70-567: English version according to Chapter 232, schedule 1, Laws of Hong Kong I, .. <Officer's Name> .. (swear by Almighty God/ do solemnly and sincerely declare) that I will well and faithfully serve the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region according to law as a police officer, that I will obey uphold and maintain the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region that I will execute
140-613: 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
210-773: 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
280-533: A chan roddi'r un parch i bob person; ac y byddaf i, hyd eithaf fy ngallu, yn achosi i'r heddwch gael ei gadw a'i ddiogelu ac yn atal pob trosedd yn erbyn pobl ac eiddo; a thra byddaf yn parhau i ddal y swydd ddywededig y byddaf i, hyd eithaf fy sgil a'm gwybodaeth, yn cyflawni'r holl ddyletswyddau sy'n gysylltiedig â hi yn ffyddlon yn unol â'r gyfraith. Constables obtaining their powers from the Parks Regulation Act 1872 are required to be "attested as
350-472: 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
420-851: A constable I will, to the best of my power, keep the peace and prevent offences against the peace, and will, to the best of my skill and knowledge, perform all the duties of the office of constable according to law. So help me God. Tēnei au, a [ingoa], e kī taurangi nei, ka rato pirihonga, urupū hoki ahau i Te Arikinui, a [tohua te ingoa o te Arikinui kei runga i te torona], Kuini (Kīngi rānei) o Niu Tīreni, me ōna uri whakaheke, i roto i te kore tautoko, kore aroha rānei, kore mahi kino, kore whakaaro kino rānei. I ahau e pirihimana ana ka pōkaikaha ahau ki te hohou i te rongo me te kaupare atu i ngā mahi kotikoti i te rongo, ā, i roto i ōku tino pūkenga me ōku mōhio, ka whakatutuki i ngā mahi kua whakaritea hei mahi mā te pirihimana e ai ki te ture. Nō reira, āwhina mai i ahau e te Atua. In British legislation, an oath taken by
490-851: A constable by making a declaration before a justice of the peace that he will duly execute the office of constable" with no specific words prescribed in the Act. The only constables still attested under this Act are those of Kew Constabulary . The Royal Parks Constabulary , whose officers were formerly attested under this Act, was disbanded in 2003. Constables obtaining their powers from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967 are required to be attested in accordance with that Act. These include staff employed to protect parks in individual boroughs in Greater London. Examples include
560-582: A constable in England and Wales or in Northern Ireland is described as an "attestation" and annotated as such in a relevant Act. In Scotland a constable is required to make a "declaration". The 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales are responsible for general policing. Members of these police forces are attested under section 29 of the Police Act 1996 . The prescribed form of words
630-705: A constable, even though they would not have any increased powers. A working party was formed by the Department of Environment and they visited the Liverpool Parks Police in 1872 to examine their model of policing parks. The amended Parks Regulations 1872 gives Kew Constabulary police powers within all the parks to which the legislation applies. Whilst there is nothing to suggest that Kew Constabulary Police Officers would ever find themselves exercising their police powers in another park, this legislative quirk remains nonetheless. Many parks listed within
700-568: A declaration on appointment by s.16 of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 "in such terms as may be prescribed". The words prescribed by the Police (Scotland) Regulations 2004 were as follows: I hereby do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of constable. The wording was first given statutory effect under the Police (Scotland) Act 1857 and remained largely similar to that form until replaced by
770-404: 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
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#1732781051311840-663: A patrol and ranger service . Kew Gardens is situated within the Metropolitan Police District , and as such, the Metropolitan Police Service is the police force with statutory responsibility for providing policing services to Kew Gardens with any substantial, serious or major policing incidents always being referred to the MPS. The Kew Constabulary have no power to instigate proceedings for an offence committed within their jurisdiction via
910-480: 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,
980-663: A resident magistrate as a special constable whilst on duty within Ministry of Defence property. 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 "
1050-748: 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
1120-683: 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
1190-495: 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
1260-897: 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
1330-484: Is that given by schedule 4 to the Act (inserted by section 83 of the Police Reform Act 2002 ), as follows: English I (name) ...of (address)... do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that I will well and truly serve The King in the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people; and that I will, to
1400-575: 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
1470-511: 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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#17327810513111540-603: 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
1610-542: 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
1680-864: 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
1750-533: 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
1820-626: The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 . Kew Constabulary do however provide an enhanced policing patrol presence within the parks which the MPS would be unable to provide due to other wider commitments and a good working relationship is maintained between the MPS and the Kew constables. The Kew Constabulary are attested under the Parks Regulations 1872, which was amended by the Parks Regulations (Amendment) Act 1974. This amendment included
1890-853: The Wandsworth Parks Police and the Hampstead Heath Constabulary . Constables in Scotland are required to make the declaration given in s.10 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 on appointment. The declaration must be made before a sheriff or justice of the peace. I, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of constable with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, and that I will uphold fundamental human rights and accord equal respect to all people, according to law. Prior to 1 April 2013 constables in Scotland were required to make
1960-590: The police area in which such park is situated". As a result, constables of this very small constabulary have the powers of constables of the Metropolitan Police within the land belonging to the Royal Botanic Gardens in addition to those powers possessed as a Kew Constable but without being sworn as constables under the legislation applicable to the Metropolitan Police. These constables rarely use their police powers and generally perform
2030-621: 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
2100-783: 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,
2170-852: 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
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2240-703: 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
2310-654: 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,
2380-588: 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
2450-477: The Police Act 1996 for a territorial police constable, and in Scotland make the same declaration that as prescribed under the Police (Scotland) Regulations 2004 for a territorial police constable. The location of the declaration/attestation, and the words used, make no difference to the extent of the constable's jurisdiction. Members of the Ministry of Defence Police are required—as with BTP constables—to take
2520-585: 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
2590-704: 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
2660-519: 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
2730-533: The best of my power, cause the peace to be kept and preserved and prevent all offences against people and property; and that while I continue to hold the said office I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all the duties thereof faithfully according to law. Welsh Rwyf i ...o ...yn datgan ac yn cadarnhau yn ddifrifol ac yn ddiffuant y byddaf yn gwasanaethu'r Brebin yn dda ac yn gywir yn fy swydd o heddwas (heddferch), yn deg, yn onest, yn ddiwyd ac yn ddiduedd, gan gynnal hawliau dynol sylfaenol
2800-679: The declaration required by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. Police officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are attested under section 38 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 . The terms are prescribed by that section, and are as follows: I hereby do solemnly and sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all individuals and their traditions and beliefs; and that while I continue to hold
2870-555: The duties of a member of the Garda Síochána with fairness, integrity, regard for human rights, diligence and impartiality, upholding the Constitution and the laws and according equal respect to all people, while I continue to be a member, I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all my duties according to law, and I do not belong to, and will not while I remain a member form, belong to or subscribe to, any political party or secret society whatsoever. Section 16(2) allows
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2940-869: 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
3010-433: The force had 20 members of staff. The Kew Constables are attested under section 3 of the Parks Regulation Act 1872. Such constables have "in addition to any powers and immunities specially conferred on him by this Act, shall, within the limits of the park of which he is park constable, have all such powers, privileges, and immunities, and be liable to all such duties and responsibilities, as any police constable has within
3080-445: 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
3150-408: The legislation have been transferred from the control of the Crown and government departments to local authorities, whereby the legislation is believed to no longer apply. This includes, for example, Battersea Park and Victoria Park . Nonetheless, during more recent years the Kew Constabulary have theoretically possessed police powers in Parliament Square until it was transferred to the control of
3220-414: 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),
3290-437: 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
3360-422: The oath that a territorial police constable would in the country in which they are attested. The same applies to members of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary , though in Scotland they are required to only make a "declaration faithfully to execute the duties of the office of a member of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary". Civilian security officers belonging to the Northern Ireland Security Guard Service are attested by
3430-408: 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
3500-468: 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
3570-435: 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,
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#17327810513113640-509: The powers and duties of my office honestly, faithfully and diligently without fear of or favour to any person and with malice or ill-will toward none, and that I will obey without question all lawful orders of those set in authority over me. English form Section 16(1) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 requires each member of the Garda Síochána to make the following solemn declaration when they are appointed: I hereby solemnly and sincerely declare before God that I will faithfully discharge
3710-417: The provision to allow for the appointment of Parks Constables for the parks included within the original legislation. The Parks Regulations 1872 included the provision for appointing Park Keepers, who had the full powers of a police constable of the local police force within the relevant park. However, the Park Keepers were faced with increased hostility and it was felt necessary to give them the full status of
3780-402: 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,
3850-553: The rank of ordinary Garda was William P. Quinn, who was appointed in February 1965. Kew Constabulary The Kew Constabulary (formerly the Royal Botanic Gardens Constabulary ) is a small, specialised constabulary responsible for policing the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in Richmond-upon-Thames , England. The constabulary consists of a sworn security manager/chief officer, two section leaders/sergeants, eight constables and four non-sworn operations team members (responsible for CCTV / Control Room / Pass Office). As of 2017 ,
3920-428: 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
3990-417: The said office I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all the duties thereof according to law. Constables and special constables of the British Transport Police are required by sections 24 and 25 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 to make different attestations/declarations depending on where they are appointed. In England and Wales, BTP constables take the same oath as prescribed by
4060-420: 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
4130-408: 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
4200-613: 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
4270-411: 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
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#17327810513114340-573: The words "before God" to be omitted from the declaration at the request of the declarant. Irish form Provision to make the above declaration in Irish is not made within the above Act. As of 3 July 2008 the translated version is not yet available on the Irish Statute Book website. Section 22 of the Policing Act 2008 prescribes an oath in the following form:- I, [name], swear that I will faithfully and diligently serve His Majesty The King, Charles III of New Zealand, his heirs and successors, without favour or affection, malice or ill-will. While
4410-437: 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 –
4480-532: 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
4550-470: 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
4620-578: 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,
4690-614: 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
4760-412: 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
4830-756: 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,
4900-518: 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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