Latest news with #AnGardaSíochána
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Man arrested after garda stabbed in ‘unprovoked' attack in Dublin city centre as cops cordon off Capel Street
A MAN has been arrested after a garda was attacked and stabbed in Dublin city centre. It's understood that the incident took place on Advertisement 1 A garda was attacked and stabbed in Dublin city centre this evening Credit: Getty Images - Getty A garda on high visibility patrol was reportedly stabbed in what gardai are claiming was an unprovoked attack. Video footage posted on social media shows two uniformed Images on social media show a cordoned-off scene near the junction with Parnell Street and Little Britain Street, with dozens of gardai attending. Further footage shows the garda being treated at the scene. Advertisement Read more in News The Irish Times reports the injured garda suffered multiple stab wounds to the arm and side. The Irish Sun understands the garda was slashed on the arm and around his protective vest. He was taken to A man has been arrested in connection with the incident and is being detained. Advertisement Most read in Irish News Gardai said in a statement: "Earlier this evening, Tuesday 29th July 2025, while on routine high-visibility patrol in the Capel Street area of Dublin 1, a member of An Garda Síochána was subjected to an unprovoked assault by a male. "This male was arrested at the scene. "The member of An Garda Síochána who sustained injuries has been taken to a hospital in Dublin for the treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. "No further information is currently available." Advertisement More to follow. For the latest news on this story keep checking back at the Irish Sun Online, where we will bring you live updates as soon as they happen, before anyone else. Like us on Facebook at , and follow us from our main Twitter account at @IrishSunOnline, where we will bring you this story and all the rest of the top news and exclusives of the day. is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Advertisement
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Who is Justin Kelly, the Garda commissioner in waiting?
Having joined An Garda Síochána as a recruit at the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary, in 1992, Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly will now be responsible for leading the force when Garda Commissioner Drew Harris retires on September 1st. The Government on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Kelly, a 53-year-old from Dublin 6 , as Garda commissioner. The contract is for five years, on a current salary of €314,512. Kelly is relatively young to take on the top policing post in the Republic. And as the retirement age in the force was increased from 60 to 62 years, he could serve as commissioner for the next nine years. That is assuming he would want to, and that he would be offered contract extensions by the Government, though extensions are common for senior officers. An athlete who still runs the marathon in under four hours, Kelly emerged as the preferred candidate from a recruitment competition, which attracted 14 applications for the job, that began in May. It concluded last week when the final interviews were conducted. While he has no public profile to speak of – something that will now change quickly – he is well known and popular across the Garda. News of his appointment was well received across the ranks, especially in the context of concerns that a foreign police officer, or even a civilian, could be parachuted into the Garda commissioner's role. 'He'd be seen as 'one of our own', if you like,' said one source. 'He's come up through the ranks and I suppose he'd be someone who knows the experience of the average [garda] member because he's lived that experience.' Other sources said he was regarded as a 'real police man' and someone who had a track record in crime investigation rather than 'gimmick police work'. Kelly is a married man with children and cut his teeth as a rank-and-file garda in some of Dublin's busiest stations. He is best known for his involvement in policing operations to combat serious organised crime. Last year, in an attempt to strengthen ties between the Garda and international law enforcement, Kelly went to Colombia . He ventured into the jungle with police commandos to view coca crops and just-discovered cocaine production facilities. He has also been to Dubai to build relationships with its police there, as the force continues to pursue the Kinahan cartel 's leaders and other Irish drug dealers. He began his career policing the streets of Dublin while attached to Garda stations in Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Tallaght. Once he was promoted for the first time – from the rank of garda to sergeant – his ascent up the ranks was rapid. He has also accrued diverse experience in policing and academia. Kelly's early years as a manager in the force were as an inspector, leading uniformed frontline gardaí in Clondalkin and Blanchardstown . He also spent time as a detective inspector at the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau which is a hands-on role where he would have managed investigations and on-the-ground operations involving surveillance, intelligence gathering, in addition to search–and-arrest operations. In 2001, he was seconded to work for the United Nations in Bosnia Herzegovina, where he helped build the capacity of local law enforcement in the aftermath of the Balkan War. As a detective superintendent, he managed the Garda National Protective Services Bureau which investigates crimes involving vulnerable victims, including sexual offences and domestic violence. At the rank of chief superintendent, both in uniform and as detective, he was leader of the Special Detective Unit, the force's counterterrorism squad. When appointed to the rank of assistant commissioner, he was in charge of the Garda's serious and organised crime branch – one of the most pressurised positions in operational policing. In that role, which he filled until last October, he was in charge of most of the Garda specialist units that tackle crimes as varied as drug trafficking, gang feuding, fraud, cybercrime and immigration, among others. He was appointed to the rank of deputy commissioner – in charge of security, strategy and governance – just nine months ago, but has now already left that rank behind and secured the top job for which he was seen as the clear favourite from the moment it was confirmed he had applied for the role. Kelly has a law degree from University College Dublin, a Master's of Criminal Justice from the John Jay College, New York, an MBA from Dublin City University and a Master's of Serious Crime Investigation from the University of Limerick.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Shane Flanagan: Former garda jailed for inciting rape of colleague
A former garda (Irish police officer) who impersonated a female colleague online and encouraged strangers to rape her and her daughters has been jailed for seven Flanagan admitted two counts of inciting two men to rape the woman, who had been a friend, on dates between November and December also admitted six counts of endangering the woman and her teenage daughters through his communications online and also pleaded guilty to possessing images of child sexual abuse sentence at Dublin's Central Criminal Court, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon sentenced Flanagan to eight years in prison and suspended the final year. The court heard that Flanagan and the woman were both serving members of An Garda Síochána (the Irish police service) at the time.39 year old Flanagan, with an address in County Clare, resigned from the force in were friends, but had never entered into a romantic or intimate set up a profile on an online website which allows people to interact with each other about sexual profile used real photos and information relating to his female friend. He also was said to have set up a fake Facebook account for the same judge said the conversations online in relation to the endangerment charges relating to the woman and her two children were extremely graphic and as the woman, Flanagan discussed in graphic detail what could be done to her and to her some cases he sent men Google Street View images of her house and her regular running communications were discovered in December 2020, when one of the men who had been discussing the logistics of going to the woman's house, contacted her real Facebook profile to make sure she was really consenting. 'Calculated, predatory act of violence' The court heard she was in significant shock when the garda investigation revealed Flanagan was the individual police searched Flanagan's home and seized devices they found almost 700 images of the woman, as well as 219 images of her that had been digitally altered to show her gagged, bound and Justice Creedon said Flanagan showed a "breath-taking disregard" for the safety of the woman and her judge said that Flanagan would have been more "alive" to these dangers with him being once a police said that it was not just a betrayal of friendship, it was a "calculated, predatory act of violence", which had left lifelong scars for the victim and her daughters.
RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
What challenges face the new Garda Commissioner?
Justin Kelly has been announced as the next Garda Commissioner and will take over from Drew Harris on 1 September. He has been appointed by the Government after a Cabinet meeting. Who is Justin Kelly? Justin Kelly has been a member of An Garda Síochána for more than 30 years. The Dubliner currently serves as Deputy Commissioner for Security, Strategy and Governance, having been appointed to the role last October. Before that, as assistant commissioner for serious and organised crime, the 52-year-old was responsible for leading the force's response to drugs and organised crime, cybercrime, economic crime, immigration, crimes against vulnerable people as well as the needs of victims. During his career, he was also detective chief superintendent in the Counter-Terrorism Unit, detective superintendent with the National Protective Services Bureau and detective inspector in the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. In these roles, Mr Kelly had responsibility for the response to domestic and international terrorism, violent political extremism and online child exploitation investigations. He also served as a frontline sergeant, inspector and garda in Blanchardstown, Clondalkin and Tallaght in Dublin. In 2001, Mr Kelly was seconded to work for the United Nations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he monitored and built the capacity of local law enforcement. He has a number of qualifications achieved through institutions in Ireland, the United States and the UK. These include a first class master's degree in serious crime investigation from the University of Limerick and a masters in criminal justice from John Jay College in New York. What challenges does Justin Kelly face as commissioner? Since 2018, An Garda Síochána has been working to implement a number of initiatives to reform the force including a new operating model, improved technology and fostering diversity and inclusivity. There has also been a focus on greater support and training for members as well as an enhanced service for the public. Among Mr Kelly's main tasks will be the issue of recruitment and retention, which garda representative associations say has been allowed to reach "crisis levels". They have concerns over the "high level" of resignations from the force as well as the struggle to recruit members. The associations also have issues over salaries, particularly for new recruits and those serving in lower ranks. Mr Kelly will also have to defend the new operating model in the face of strong criticism from the associations. The Garda Representative Association (GRA) recognises that Mr Kelly has had a distinguished career in An Garda Síochána. It says there are serious challenges ahead however in relation to morale, community policing and the retention of gardaí and the association is seeking a meeting with him. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has also welcomed the appointment, saying it has dealt with Mr Kelly in the past and that he has listened. It says that when it had issues with the information management system (an administration system), Mr Kelly met with the AGSI, listened to it and made the changes. The AGSI also said Mr Kelly needs to continue to listen and to continue to refocus An Garda Síochána.
Irish Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
HHC now added to list of illegal drugs in Ireland
Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), commonly sold as e-cigarettes or vapes, is now illegal to sell and possess in Ireland, the Government has confirmed. This means that the import, export, production, possession, sale and supply of products containing HHC is now illegal. HHC is a semi-synthetic version of a natural cannabinoid found in cannabis. Since it was first detected in Ireland in 2022, it has been linked with episodes of psychosis and hospitalisation. It can be used in vapes or in jelly edibles and emulates the effects of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the narcotic component present in cannabis plants. Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Minister for the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor announced that Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) has been categorised as a Schedule 1 controlled drug in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. Schedule 1 controlled drugs are those which are considered to have little or no therapeutic value and which present a very high risk of abuse. The new classification means that the import, export, production, possession, sale, and supply of products containing HHC is now illegal. The addition of these substances to the Schedules of the Misuse of Drugs Acts gives added powers of enforcement to An Garda Síochána combatting the trade in illicit drugs. 'The sale of HHC as vapes, in attractive packaging, or in edible jelly form, is a marketing ploy aimed at young people, which masks the fact that this drug is harmful for youth mental health and can be addictive,' said Minister Carroll MacNeill. 'Under the successor national drugs strategy, I'm committed to reviewing legal avenues to respond faster and more effectively to emerging threats from the volatile drugs market. In line with our health-led approach to drug use, our priority is to advance measures that enable us to protect and support the health of our population.' Minister Murnane O'Connor added: 'Controlling HHC and other harmful substances is an important step that must be complemented by education and prevention programmes so that young people and parents are better informed about the risks associated with drug use. 'We know that HHC is responsible for hospitalisations and psychotic episodes, and that there are many people today struggling with addiction as a result of this and similar drugs. 'I urge people seeking help, either for themselves or for a loved one, to contact the HSE Drugs and Alcohol Helpline. Information on services in your locality can be found on the Health Research Board's interactive map.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
