A reshuffle in senior Garda management ranks has seen Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary appointed to lead policing in the Dublin metropolitan region, the busiest area by far for the Garda force.
The appointment of Mr Cleary, who has most recently been assistant commissioner in charge of the eastern region, comes at a time of particular challenges for Dublin. It has witnessed serious disturbances in the last year, linked to anti-immigration sentiment, including the city centre riots last November and violence in Coolock in July.
Other issues for policing in Dublin include organised crime gangs and related feuding, as well as public disorder, open drug dealing and an apparent sharp increase in shoplifting.
The Dublin City Taskforce, chaired by An Post chief executive David McRedmond, recently recommended 1,000 extra gardaí should be deployed to shore up security, and provide reassurance to the public, in central Dublin.
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Mr Cleary takes over as assistant commissioner for Dublin, one of the highest pressure roles in Irish policing, from Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis. She has moved to Organised and Serious Crime to replace the recently promoted Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly.
A 31-year veteran of the Garda, Mr Cleary has amassed considerable and varied experience, especially in Dublin and with organised crime investigations. Sources said his experience meant he was very well placed for the demanding Dublin job, adding he was well regarded by his colleagues and seen as a decisive manager of personnel and operations.
As detective superintendent based in Kevin Street Garda station, he led the investigation into the murder of Daithi Douglas in Dublin’s south inner city in July 2016. That gun murder, which was part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud, resulted in a lengthy and complex investigation that led to the conviction of Dubliner Freddie Thompson.
One of the key figures in the Kinahan cartel’s Irish operation, Thompson was a leading protagonist in the feud and his imprisonment for life remains the highest value conviction in the Republic arising from the Kinahan-Hutch dispute. The investigation was described as “world class” by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.
Mr Cleary also oversaw the investigation into the cyberattack on the HSE in 2021, when he led the Garda National Cybercrime Bureau. He was also tasked with compiling a report, for the Policing Authority, on the Dublin riots last November and the Garda’s response to the violence. He rolled out the new 999 computer-aided dispatch Gardasafe service after the debacle around cancelled 999 calls.
After joining the Garda in 1993, he served in Fitzgibbon Street Garda station and the North Central Divisional Drugs Unit at Store Street and as a detective in Store Street and the Special Detective Unit.
He has been chief superintendent in charge of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau, detective chief superintendent in charge of the Garda National Technical Bureau, Operational Support Services and led the nationwide expansion of the Garda National Cybercrime Bureau.
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