The Government has appointed Paul Cleary as Deputy Garda Commissioner, the second highest rank in An Garda Síochána.
He had been acting deputy with responsibility for security, strategy and governance for the past eight months, following the promotion of Justin Kelly to Garda Commissioner.
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said: "Paul has served in a variety of operational policing roles and led several successful serious crime investigations.
"His outstanding experience will be of immense value to the Garda organisation."
Commissioner Kelly said: "Paul is a valuable member of the Senior Leadership team, and he his highly regarded for his proactive and positive leadership style.
"He is committed to serving communities right across the country and I am very much looking forward to continuing to work with Paul into the future and wish him the best in his role as Deputy Commissioner".
Mr Cleary, 52, from Dublin, has been a garda for the past 33 years and has served in a broad range of frontline roles including drugs, informant handling, terrorist and organised crime policing.
Deputy Commissioner Cleary was a senior investigator in Dublin during the Hutch-Kinahan feud and led the investigation into the murder of Daithí Douglas, which resulted in Kinahan gang member Freddie Thompson being jailed for life.
He arrested Thompson in the toilets of the City North Hotel in November 2016 after he had flown into Ireland through Belfast for a gang meeting in Dublin.
He also arrested Moroccan criminal gang member Naoufal Fassih in a Kinahan gang safehouse on Baggot Street in Dublin, and supervised his subsequent extradition to Holland where he is currently serving 18 years in prison for money laundering and conspiracy to murder.
Deputy Commissioner Cleary was also in charge of policing anti-immigrant protests while responsible for the eastern region.
He introduced high-visibility policing when he was the assistant commissioner in charge of Dublin, a policy which is now being rolled out around the country.
He also had responsibility for the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau when HSE systems were hacked by a Russian based criminal gang and has served in the Covert Human Intelligence Unit dealing with confidential information and garda informants.
Mr Cleary has a MA in Serious Crime Investigation from the University of Limerick and a BA (honours) in Public Management from the National University of Ireland and has completed the Strategic Command Course for senior police leaders in Ryton in the UK.
The Cabinet approved his appointment to the position of Deputy Commissioner at this morning’s meeting.
