New Garda Commissioner Set to be Announced: Former Senior PSNI Officer in the Running

The new Garda commissioner is set to be announced early next week, following a recruitment competition. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan is expected to recommend a candidate to Cabinet, with the appointment expected to be approved and announced immediately. The new commissioner will succeed Drew Harris, who has been in the role since 2018. The recruitment process was relatively low, with some senior officers deterred by significant tax liabilities. Deputy Commissioners Justin Kelly and Shawna Coxon are believed to have applied for the position.

The new Garda commissioner is set to be confirmed and announced early next week, following a recruitment competition. Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan is expected to recommend a candidate to Cabinet, with the appointment expected to be approved and announced immediately. The new commissioner will succeed Drew Harris, who has been in the role since 2018 [1].

The recruitment process was relatively low, with some senior officers deterred by significant tax liabilities. The number of senior Garda officers who applied for the commissioner’s job, which was advertised in May and carries a salary of at least €314,000, was relatively low, according to sources. Many senior officers estimate their liability at present at about €500,000. However, if long-serving officers were promoted to the rank of commissioner and served for five years, that would increase to well over €1 million on retirement and, in a very small number of cases, more than €2 million [1].

Deputy Commissioners Justin Kelly and Shawna Coxon are believed to have applied for the position. Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly has applied for the position, while sources said Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon has also done so. Ms Coxon declined to comment on the matter when asked by journalists at an event in Dublin last month [1].

The recruitment process is confidential, meaning a list of the candidates who applied will not be disclosed. The advertisement for the job stated that applications were welcome from candidates with “policing, security or civilian backgrounds”. However, Mr O’Callaghan recently said he would be unwilling to recommend to Government any candidate for the commissioner’s job who does not have previous policing experience [1].

The new head of An Garda Siochana is set to be announced next week, it has emerged. Sources have confirmed to the Irish Mirror that Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan will tell Cabinet colleagues on Tuesday who has won the race to succeed current Commissioner Drew Harris, who has held the post since late 2018. Although the competition was run by the Public Appointments Service, the minister and government have the final say on who will be the officer to lead the 14,100-strong force for the next five years [2].

The force’s two deputy commissioners - Justin Kelly and Canadian national Shawna Coxon - are both understood to have applied for the €314,000-a-year post and got through to the last round. It’s also understood one candidate from outside the Republic of Ireland was also shortlisted [2].

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan will brief the cabinet on Tuesday and it will rubber stamp the decision. Although the successful candidate has not been notified yet, sources say Deputy Commissioner Kelly is widely regarded as the favourite [2].

References:
[1] https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2025/07/24/new-garda-commissioner-set-to-be-announced-within-days-to-succeed-drew-harris/
[2] https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/new-garda-commissioner-succeed-drew-35613924