Assistant Commissioner Mick Feehan, who is in charge of policing in Dublin, is the latest senior Garda member to retire from the force, having revealed this morning that he is taking early retirement.
His departure at the end of the month means of the ten assistant commissioner posts in the Garda – the third most senior rank in the force – vacancies now arise in five positions.
Mr Feehan's decision to join the estimated 7,700 public servants opting to leave before February 28th when their pensions and gratuity payments will be reduced, has underlined the very significant level of vacancies now arising among the ranks of senior Garda officers.
Minister for Justice Alan Shatter last August announced 51 officers were to be promoted into the ranks of superintendent, chief superintendent and assistant commissioner. The candidates for promotion were selected and were told they had secured the promotions.
However, to date these promotions have not taken place.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi) said the Garda was being "decimated" from the rank of sergeant and higher and urged the Government to act quickly in filling key vacant posts.
"It would only take one serious emergency to expose the lack of management," said Agsi deputy general secretary John Redmond.
"If this happens the blame game will be in full flow – but it will be too late. The Government should act now on promotions."
Agsi was making its comments after emerged Garda vacancies are now at unprecedented levels due the high number of early retirements and a smaller number of age-related compulsory retirements from the force.
There are currently 61 vacancies among senior officer ranks: five assistant commissioners, eight chief superintendents and 48 superintendents. At middle management level, there will 170 vacancies at the rank of sergeant and 20 at the rank of inspector when those who have signalled their intent to retire have left the force at the end of this month.
There are six regional assistant commissioners posts among the ten assistant commissioners positions across the Garda.
These regional assistant commissioners are in charge of policing in different geographic regions around the Republic. Of the six, vacancies now arise in four of these; Cork, the south east, Dublin and the eastern region.
These posts were created to improve communication and management collaboration across the Garda in the aftermath of the Brendan O'Donnell case in 1994. O'Donnell evaded gardai for a long period and murdered Imelda Riney; her young son Liam and Father Joe Walsh in Co Clare.