Senior deputy commissioner double-jobbing is ‘not ideal’, says Minister for Justice

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said the fact that the second-highest position in An Garda Síochána will be filled by a deputy commissioner in a double-jobbing arrangement is “not ideal”.

Ms McEntee said a review into the rules governing senior public servants and others with large pension pots has begun and expects it to be completed by the summer.

The Irish Times reported on Saturday that no new recruitment contest is planned at present to replace Deputy Commissioner Annie Marie McMahon. She is deputy commissioner in charge of policing and security and is due to retire in mid-March.

Instead of replacing Ms McMahon when her post becomes vacant, her role is due to be taken on by Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon in a double-jobbing arrangement.

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[ Senior Garda intelligence and security role set to be filled by Canadian officer ]

A Canadian and former deputy police chief in Toronto, Ms Coxon joined the Garda in April 2021. She is currently Garda deputy commissioner in charge of strategy, governance and performance, with no responsibility for crime and security issues.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s This Week programme on Sunday, Ms McEntee acknowledged that the two briefs were “a huge amount of work”, but that Deputy Commissioner Coxon was supported by a “significant number of assistant commissioners”.

“It’s not ideal, and obviously I want to see that position filled as quickly as possible,” she said.

“It is most likely that that competition won’t happen until there are other issues resolved [around the pension cap] that have obviously led us to the position that we’re in.”

Independent TD Cathal Berry TD said the planned arrangement involving Ms Coxon was “far from ideal” and that in the international community, the norm was for each country to have one of their own citizens holding key state security and intelligence roles.

Responding to such concerns, Ms McEntee said that she, the Garda Commissioner and the Government would never agree to “anything that would in any way jeopardise our national security”.

“I want to assure people of that – I will never make a decision or support a decision that would allow for that,” she added.

[ Helen McEntee anticipates Garda officers will apply for deputy commissioner job after deadline extended ]

Separately, the Minister said she will make a decision on adding more states to the “safe countries” list, which the State considers safe and stable democracies, and bring that recommendation to Cabinet “very shortly”.

Ms McEntee said safe countries were designated as such to ensure that the State’s international protection system was not used “essentially as a backdoor to economic migration”.

“So we need to make sure and I need to make sure that the international protection system that is there to protect people who are... fleeing persecution, fleeing inhumane treatment – that they have access to the system as quickly as possible,” she said.

“And that other people who potentially are here for economic reasons, that they are processed as quickly as possible, but that we send a very clear message that you need to use the proper channels, the proper routes, that you’re going to be turned around quickly.”

Ms McEntee said that 80 per cent of applications from safe countries were being refused.

“We’re seeing a decrease in the number of people coming from these countries. The vast majority are receiving a negative decision and the idea and the intention behind reviewing is to see how we can expand that further and strengthen our international protection system,” she added.

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