Newly-installed Garda Commissioner Drew Harris will tomorrow address the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on the future direction of Ireland’s police service.

This is his first Oireachtas appearance since his appointment last month following a 35-year RUC and PSNI career.

The meeting can be viewed live here and on Android and Apple devices using the Houses of the Oireachtas app.

“The appointment of Drew Harris as the first externally recruited candidate to lead An Garda Síochána came as a surprise to many. 

“It does mark a break with past practice. Only time will tell if it represents a new direction for policing in this state and on this island,” said Committee Chairman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD.

New culture

“Members of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality are hopeful that this early engagement will encourage Commissioner Harris to introduce a new culture of more open discussion and fuller accountability at a time when An Garda Síochána faces many questions about its capacity, structures, priorities and strategic vision,” he said.