An event to mark the centenary of An Garda Síochána heard Minister for Justice Helen McEntee declare the police force “one of the greatest success stories of this country”.
he event, which was due to take place in February but was delayed due to Covid-19, was held in the Gresham Hotel, where Michael Collins first convened a secret meeting in February 1922 to set about establishing an independent police force to replace the Royal Irish Constabulary.
Minister McEntee said 100 years later, the Gardaí must continue to strive towards being a “human rights-focused, equal and diverse organisation representative of the new modern Ireland”, and acknowledged the force’s “unique relationship with the community since the foundation of the State”.
The Justice Minister said the fact that the majority of Gardaí don’t carry guns is a testament to this connection with the citizenry.
“This is the envy of many police forces around the world. The implications this has is through engagement with communities…it’s service rather than force,” the minister told those in attendance.
Ms McEntee paid homage to the 89 members of the force that have lost their lives in the line of service since the inception of the force. “As a country, we owe a debt of gratitude to them all,” Minister McEntee said.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris paid tribute to the “many benefits the force have brought to the country” in the past 100 years as well as the force’s “high standards” that see An Garda Síochána regarded as “as a beacon of community policing worldwide”.
“This is why police services now from around the world come to learn from us. It’s because of those dedicated guardians of peace; they are the best of us,” Commissioner Harris said.
Mr Harris also apologised on behalf of An Garda Síochána for the “times when we let individuals and communities down, times when we should’ve done more and should’ve done better”.
“For all those times, I want to apologise to those we may have failed,” Commissioner Harris said.
The centenary event marked the inaugural meeting of the ‘Police Organising Committee’ on February 9, 1922, led to the establishment of the Civic Guard which later became An Garda Síochána.
Michael Collins, then the Chairman of the Provisional Government of Ireland, declared the Civic Guard would be a “People’s Guard for the protection of all parties and classes”.
The meeting had an attendance of 25 men, consisting of Sinn Féin TDs, 1916 Easter Rising veterans, military commanders along with members of the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police.
Also present at the meeting that night were Michael Staines, the first Garda Commissioner, and Eoin O’Duffy and Eamon Broy, who both went on to become second and third Garda Commissioners, respectively.
The meeting took place against a backdrop of a looming civil war so there was little time for the committee to form a new police force. Just 12 days after the initial meeting in the Gresham Hotel on February 9, the first Gardaí were recruited into the force at the RDS in Ballsbridge.
Commissioner Harris and Minister McEntee highlighted the challenges those first officers faced are far different from those faced by Gardaí today, and that they must constantly adapt to modernity and the “way in which crime has changed”.
“I received a text on my phone today from Permanent TSB saying that there was a problem with my account. And if I text them immediately, I would be able to resolve it. Obviously, the fact that I’m not with Permanent TSB was an issue,” Minister McEntee said.
“As people become more sophisticated, as they are able to access you in different ways, the Gardaí have had to change and amend the way in which they have responded as well on each and every occasion from 1922 to the challenges that we face today”.
The minister also paid tribute to the increasing diversity in the force since the first 12 females were permitted to join in 1959.
“Female members, to put it mildly, couldn’t be too good looking or attract too much unwanted attention,” she said.
“Thankfully, due to the changing environment, we are seeing increasing numbers of women become both sworn members and civilian staff.”
“Every single person should see themselves reflected in members of An Garda Síochána, the people who serve and protect them. I’m delighted to see a steady increase in that diversity,” the minister said.
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