Jeremy Andrew Harris, (born 5 April 1965), is the current

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

, having assumed office in September 2018. He previously served as Deputy Chief Constable of the

Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ; Ulster-Scots: '), is the police service responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime within Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it ...

(PSNI) from 2014 to 2018.

Biography

Harris's father, senior RUC officer Alwyn Harris, was murdered by the

Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

in 1989. Harris joined the

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...

(RUC) in 1983, rising to become Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI in October 2014. Following an international selection process, which included a salary increase to €250,000 to attract greater interest, Harris was announced as the new Garda Commissioner on 26 June 2018, becoming the first Commissioner to be appointed from outside the

. He took over the leadership of the Garda Síochána from

Dónall Ó Cualáin Dónall Ó Cualáin (born 4 November 1957) is a former Irish Garda who served as Acting Garda Commissioner from September 2017 to September 2018, after the resignation of Nóirín O'Sullivan. Biography From Carna in the Gaeltacht area of Conn ...

, who had served as acting Garda Commissioner since the resignation of

Nóirín O'Sullivan Nóirín O'Sullivan (born 3 November 1960) is an Irish Garda Síochána, Garda who has served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Europe at the International Association of Chiefs of Police since October 2017. She previously served as Garda ...

in September 2017, following a number of Garda scandals. His appointment as Garda Commissioner was initially for five years. In July 2023, the Garda Representative Association announced the rank and file of the Gardaí were holding a vote of no-confidence in Commissioner Harris over roster disputes. Harris stated that regardless the outcome of the vote, he would not be leaving the position. The vote was passed with 98.7% voting in favour of the motion and 1.3% against.

Personal life

Harris is married with four children. He holds a bachelor's degree in Politics and Economics from the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

along with a master's degree in Criminology from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He is a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, specifically a Presbyterian. He is both a British citizen and an Irish citizen. In July 2024, a death threat was made against Harris in a video posted on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

by a man who said Harris would be getting "blasted before the end of the year". A 28-year-old man was later arrested.

Honours

He was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 2010 and was awarded the

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

(QPM) in the

2019 Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

Police Long Service and Good Conduct ribbon

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Drew 1965 births Living people Garda Commissioners Police Service of Northern Ireland officers Royal Ulster Constabulary officers British police chief officers Police officers from Belfast Alumni of the Open University Alumni of the University of Cambridge Officers of the Order of the British Empire Northern Irish recipients of the Queen's Police Medal