Six of the country’s most senior gardaí have written to the Garda Commissioner and the Chief Constable requesting a postponement of Thursday’s application deadline for the post of Assistant Commissioner.
None of the six deputy commissioners – out of a total of eight – have applied for the post because they believe they would be “discriminated against” in terms of tax burden compared to external candidates and former PSNI officers who are now with An Garda Siochána.
The government decided not to fill the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police and Security last October after none of the deputy commissioners and very few of the country’s 47 chief superintendents (who are the next lowest rank) applied.
Last December, the Finance Minister ordered an external investigation into the tax issue.
The Deputy Commissioners expected to be informed of the outcome of the review before the post was filled.
Last month, the government re-advertised the position and the application deadline is this Thursday.
Although the review has been completed, its results have not been announced.
If nothing changes, none of the six deputy commissioners are expected to apply by Thursday.
The six deputy commissioners sent a letter to Commissioner Drew Harris and Police Board Chair Elaine Byrne requesting a postponement of the competition deadline.
The six said they were being “discriminated against” because they would face a tax burden upon retirement that other candidates would not have.
The amount of the tax liability is calculated differently, but reports suggest it could be more than 100,000 euros.
If the Government meets its deadline and none of the six Assistant Commissioners or Chief Superintendents apply, it is likely that the post could be filled by an external candidate or a former PSNI officer who is now with the Gardaí.
Two of the eight Deputy Commissioners are former PSNI officers. The second of the two Deputy Commissioners is a former Canadian police chief.
The position of Assistant Commissioner for Police and Security occupies a key role in the Garda hierarchy, having an oversight role over operational policing and organised crime, as well as security and intelligence issues.
If the post is awarded externally or to a former PSNI officer, it will mean that none of the top three Garda positions will be awarded to an in-house professional driver.
The Ministry of Finance said in a statement that the independent review had been completed and that the minister was currently reviewing “the report and its recommendations”.
It said the decision on whether to publish the report or its recommendations rests with the minister. No comment has been received from the Ministry of Justice.
