Drew Harris agrees to Garda contract extension

The former PSNI deputy chief constable joined An Garda Síochána (AGS) in 2018 for a five-year term.

His two-year extension, which was approved by the Irish cabinet yesterday, will take Mr Harris to the AGS compulsory retirement age of 60.

He was the first person from outside the Republic of Ireland to be appointed commissioner, following 35 years total service in both the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC and the PSNI.

Quoted in an Irish Times report, Irish justice minister Helen McEntee said Mr Harris “is rightly held in high esteem by the public” and is “widely acknowledged as having done an exemplary job since he was appointed in September 2018.”

She added: “As well as his role in leading our national policing and security service, the commissioner has introduced very significant reforms and driven the ongoing programme of reform in An Garda Síochána.

“The organisation is currently entering a critical phase with the rollout of the new operating model, and the forthcoming passage and implementation of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill.”

Meanwhile a former Garda detective who, like Drew Harris, was a key witness at the Smithwick Tribunal has died.

Owen Corrigan repeatedly denied that he had an “inappropriate relationship with the Provisional IRA,” while serving in the force.

Judge Smithwick’s investigation was a response to suggestions that members of ASG had colluded with the Provos in the murder of senior RUC officers Harry Breen and Robert Buchanan in March 1989.

An online death notice states that Mr Corrigan, a father of three, died “suddenly at home surrounded by his family” in Mount Hamilton, Ardee Road, Dundalk, on Monday.

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptionsnow to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry, Editor