Major garda shake-up in Tipperary amid ongoing staffing and policing pressures

A significant shake-up of senior garda personnel in Tipperary has taken effect this month, bringing a series of high-profile transfers and promotions that garda management says are designed to strengthen leadership and operational oversight across the county at a time of sustained pressure on policing resources.

The changes form part of a nationwide reorganisation under the Garda Operating Model, which is being rolled out as part of the broader “A Policing Service for the Future” reform programme.

In Tipperary, the moves involve a number of senior officers taking up new roles across both north and south Tipperary, with implications for community policing, crime investigation and performance management.

Among the most notable appointments is that of Superintendent Susan O’Brien, who has been assigned to Tipperary Town Garda Station with responsibility for the Clare/Tipperary Performance Assurance Functional Area. The role carries oversight of governance, standards and operational performance, and is regarded within the force as a key leadership position.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Liam McGraynor has taken up a new post in Nenagh with responsibility for community engagement in the Clare East/Tipperary North area, while Superintendent James Hallahan has been appointed to a similar community-focused role in Clonmel, covering Tipperary South.

READ NEXT: Tipperary students return with top honours from national technology exhibition

The reshuffle also includes a number of transfers out of the county, reflecting a broader redistribution of senior garda management across divisions nationwide. Garda Headquarters has said the changes are intended to ensure the right mix of experience and expertise in each division, while also supporting specialist policing functions and frontline delivery.

However, the reorganisation comes against a backdrop of persistent political concern about garda numbers and visibility in Tipperary, particularly in rural towns and smaller population centres. Over the past year, garda staffing has been a recurring issue raised by local TDs and councillors, with repeated calls for greater transparency around deployment figures and a renewed focus on community policing.

Independent TD Seamus Healy has been among the most outspoken critics, arguing that official announcements about increased garda numbers in towns such as Clonmel often mask a more complex reality on the ground. He has claimed that while new recruits may be assigned to the area, retirements, transfers and long-term absences frequently mean that the net increase is minimal or, in some cases, negative. Healy has also highlighted what he describes as a dramatic erosion of community policing in the county, pointing to figures showing that while Tipperary once had more than 100 dedicated community gardaí, that number has fallen sharply over the past decade.

In the Dáil, Healy has warned that the loss of community gardaí has had serious consequences for public confidence and crime prevention, particularly in working-class estates and rural villages where garda visibility has declined. He has argued that community policing is not simply a “nice to have”, but a core function that allows gardaí to build local knowledge, intervene early and maintain trust.

Fianna Fáil TD Ryan O’Meara has raised similar concerns in relation to Roscrea, where he has repeatedly highlighted what he describes as critically low staffing levels at the local Garda station. O’Meara has told the Dáil that Roscrea, despite its size and strategic location, has seen its Garda numbers reduced to single figures, with limited availability for patrols and reduced opening hours at the station. He has called for Roscrea to be prioritised for additional garda resources, arguing that the town has faced particular challenges in recent years and requires a consistent garda presence to reassure the community.

Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy has also weighed in on policing issues in Tipperary, particularly in Clonmel, the county’s largest town. While welcoming periodic increases in garda patrols during busy periods such as Christmas, Murphy has stressed that temporary measures are no substitute for sustained staffing levels. He has argued that towns like Clonmel face many of the same challenges as larger urban centres, including anti-social behaviour, drug-related crime and public order issues, but often do so with fewer resources.

At local authority level, councillors across party lines have echoed these concerns, with some questioning whether the current divisional structure, which links Tipperary with Clare, adequately reflects the scale and diversity of policing needs across the county. Former garda representatives have also entered the debate, warning that officers are increasingly stretched across large geographic areas and that response times and proactive policing inevitably suffer as a result.
Official figures show that, as of late 2025, there were just over 670 garda members assigned to the Clare/Tipperary Division, supported by probationers and civilian garda staff.

While this represents a modest increase on previous years, politicians and community groups argue that raw divisional figures do not tell the full story, particularly when the distribution of gardaí between towns, rural areas and specialist units is taken into account.

Nationally, garda recruitment has struggled to keep pace with retirements and rising demand, and oversight bodies have warned that targets for significantly expanding the force may not be met without structural changes to recruitment and retention. These national challenges are keenly felt in counties like Tipperary, where population spread, transport links and the mix of urban and rural communities place particular demands on garda resources.

The decline in community policing has become a focal point of criticism locally, with many arguing that the Garda Operating Model, while designed to modernise the force, has inadvertently reduced the number of Gardaí available for dedicated community roles. Garda management has maintained that community engagement remains central to policing strategy, but critics say the reality on the ground is that fewer officers are assigned exclusively to those duties.

The recent senior garda shake-up is therefore being closely watched by politicians and communities alike. Supporters of the changes argue that strong, stable leadership is essential if existing resources are to be used effectively, and that experienced superintendents with a focus on community engagement can make a meaningful difference even in a constrained environment. Others, however, caution that management changes alone will not resolve what they see as a structural shortfall in garda numbers.

As the new appointments bed in across Tipperary, attention is likely to remain firmly on whether the reorganisation translates into improved garda visibility, faster response times and a renewed emphasis on community policing.

For many in the county, the question is not simply who is in charge, but whether there will be enough gardaí on the ground to meet the everyday policing needs of towns, villages and rural areas in the months and years ahead.