IRELAND's Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan has retired over an 'unending cycle' of questions and public hearings.
Dublin-native Ms O'Sullivan had joined An Garda Síochána in 1981, and became the first female leader of the force in its 95 year history in 2014.
However, after 36 years of 'privileged, enjoyable and proud service,' Ms O'Sullivan announced her retirement in a statement yesterday, September 10.
"The support for me to continue in the role is evident. However, I devoted much of my summer break to considering if continuing would be the right thing to do.
"It has become clear, over the last year, that the core of my job is now about responding to an unending cycle of requests, questions, instructions and public hearings involving various agencies including the Public Accounts Committee, the Justice and Equality Committee, the Policing Authority, and various other inquiries, and dealing with inaccurate commentary surrounding all of these matters.
"They are all part of a new – and necessary – system of public accountability.
"But when a Commissioner is trying – as I’ve been trying – to implement the deep cultural and structural reform that is necessary to modernise and reform an organisation of 16,000 people and rectify the failures and mistakes of the past, the difficulty is that the vast majority of her time goes, not to implementing the necessary reforms and meeting the obvious policing and security challenges, but to dealing with this unending cycle.”
The Commissioner said the majority of her time goes 'not to implementing the necessary reforms and meeting the obvious policing and security challenges, but to dealing with this unending cycle.' (Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie)The outgoing Commissioner said that while she had previously considered a role with Europol, she is choosing to take some time with her family and 'adapt to the new phase of her life.'
“I may decide to take on some other interesting and exciting challenge down the line,” she said.
Congratulating Ms O'Sullivan on her retirement, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said, "Nóirín O’Sullivan has given many years of dedicated service to the State. I want to thank her for that on behalf of the Government and the Irish people.
"She has overseen many significant developments in often challenging circumstances, and in recent years took on the challenge of reforming the Gardai.
"As she said in her statement, her decision to retire is made in the best interests of An Garda Siochana and ensuring that it can focus on the extensive programme of reform that is now underway.
"I wish Noirin every success in whatever she does in the years ahead."
Minister for Justice and Equality Charles Flanagan TD said Commissioner O'Sullivan's role has been 'hugely demanding.' (Picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie)Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan, said, "I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Commissioner O’Sullivan and to acknowledge her public service to the State over the course of an accomplished 36 year career in a variety of roles in An Garda Síochána, which ranged from under-cover detective work in Dublin’s inner city in the 1980s to being appointed to the most senior position in the service in March 2014.
"Since the establishment of An Garda Síochána, the role of Commissioner has been a hugely demanding one but I want to acknowledge that, during Commissioner O’Sullivan’s tenure, she was faced with particularly significant difficulties, many of which had built up over several decades.
"Commissioner O’Sullivan showed enormous resilience, determination and integrity in addressing those challenges and, in particular, in instituting a radical reform programme to modernise our policing service with the aim of providing the people of Ireland with world-class policing."
Minister Flanagan has appointed Deputy Commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin Acting Commissioner with full powers.
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