Deputy named as new Garda Commissioner

The Deputy Garda Commissioner, Mr Noel Conroy, has been selected by the Government to be the next Commissioner of An Garda Síochána.Mr Conroy will assume the position on July 20th when the current Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, is due to retire from the force.

The incoming commissioner is aged 60, a decade older than Mr Byrne was when he was appointed. Because of Mr Conroy's age the Government will have to amend age limits within the Garda to facilitate his appointment.

The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said yesterday the Government had approved any changes needed to facilitate Mr Conroy.

These changes would be brought forward without delay.

Commissioners are appointed for seven years. Under 1990 regulations, the retirement age was changed from 65 to 60.

"Noel Conroy's personal attributes, together with his wide range of experience and current responsibility for all operational matters, ensures that he is very well suited to lead An Garda Síochána through the challenging period of change that lies ahead," Mr McDowell said.

Mr Conroy is currently Deputy Commissioner in charge of operations. He was appointed to that position in July 1996.

In that role he has had responsibility for all operational resources concerned with crime investigation, drugs enforcement, security matters and tactical planning throughout the State.

He has been a member of the force since 1963. Most of his 40- year service has been spent working in the Dublin Metropolitan Area in the detective branch of the force.

He was awarded a Scott Medal for bravery in 1981 for the arrest of an armed gang in the city and led the team which arrested the murderer Malcolm Macarthur in 1982.

The Deputy Commissioner accumulated a wealth of experience fighting crime before joining the more senior ranks within the force.

He has worked in a number of Garda stations in Dublin, including Santry, Store Street, Finglas, Kevin Street and Cabra.

He has also worked at the Central Detective Unit and Crime and Security Section at Garda Headquarters in Dublin.

He currently represents the Garda on the European Union (Justice and Home Affairs) working party on terrorism. He is also the chairman of the World Regional Office, Europe, of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

He has studied at the FBI Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.

He assumes the position of Garda Commissioner at a time of great change within the force. New spheres of criminal activity have emerged in recent years, including people-trafficking and cyber-crime, as well as the heightened threat posed by international terrorist groups.

Gardaí have also been called upon increasingly in recent years to deal with immigration matters.

He comes to the job at a time when public expectations on crime-fighting remain high while additional resources to satisfy those expectations are non- existent.