Garda Síochána

Police force of the Irish Free State and later the Republic of Ireland, established in 1922. Despite its foundation in the troubled years of the Irish Civil War (1922-23), the Garda was from the beginning and remains a largely unarmed force. Expanding from an initial 2,000 officers, the force stood at over 11,000 (men and women) in 1999. Though generally perceived to be independent of serious political influence, some of its commissioners, notably Eoin O'Duffy in 1933 and Edmund Garvey in 1977, were forced to resign as a result of open conflict with the government of the day.

Since 1970 the Garda's tasks have been greatly expanded as a result of the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ and increased illegal activities on the border; 14 officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1969. However, the civil character of the force has been left largely unchanged by the Ulster crisis; political, anti-terrorist, and intelligence activities have been allocated to the Special Branch, a detective unit established for purposes of internal security in 1925.

Though the Garda continues to enjoy the respect and support of the public, increased industrial action, such as the ‘Blue Flu’ (a one day stoppage claiming sick-leave) in 1999, has given rise to some criticism.