7 Things to Know About the Irish National Police, GARDA

The other day, a movie called, The Guard, bubbled up to the top of my Netflix DVD queue. It stars American Don Cheadle and Irishman Brendan Gleeson as a by-the-book FBI agent and an unconventional Irish policeman, respectively, who team up to bust an international drug-smuggling ring.

While watching the movie, I became curious about the signage on the squad cars, “GARDA.” I realized that this must be Gaelic and wanted to know more about the organization.

Here are seven things to know about the Republic of Ireland’s police force.

1. “An Garda Síochána” (guardians of the peace) is Ireland’s national police service. Its mission is, “Working with Communities to Protect and Serve.”
2. Garda’s headquarters is located in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, one of Europe’s largest municipal parks.
3. The Garda Museum and Archives are located at the Record Tower, Dublin Castle. The facility houses an exhibition on the history of An Garda Síochána and information on Irish law enforcement before Garda’s founding in the 1920s.
4. An Garda Síochána consists of 14,500 Garda and civilian employees. They are often referred to, in the plural, as Gardaí.
5. Most Gardaí do not carry firearms. Instead they carry extendible batons, pepper spray, and handcuffs. Armed detectives and other forces provide firearm support.
6. In 1922, the first commissioner of the organization, Michael Staines, explained the decision regarding firearms as, “The Garda Síochána will succeed not by force of arms or numbers, but on their moral authority as servants of the people.”
7. Garda maintains a rich social-media presence and full-featured website:

Twitter: @GardaTraffic and @gardainfo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angardasiochana

Website: http://www.garda.ie

There you have it: Seven things to know about the Republic of Ireland’s national police force. Note: Northern Ireland has its own system, the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Ann Silverthorn

Disclaimer: I am a member of Netflix’s DVD.com Director’s program, which gives me free access to movies. If you sign up with my referral link, I may receive a referral reward.