Garda Síochána

An Garda Síochána, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí or "the Guards", is the police service of the Republic of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

Since the formation of the Garda Síochána in 1923, it has been a predominantly unarmed force, and more than three-quarters of the force do not routinely carry firearms. As of 2016, the police service employed approximately 13,000 sworn members, 2,000 civilian staff and 700 reserves. Operationally, the Garda Síochána is organised into six geographical regions: the Eastern, Northern, Southern, South-Eastern, Western and Dublin Metropolitan Regions.In addition to its crime detection and prevention roles, road safety enforcement duties, and community policing remit, the police service has some diplomatic and witness protection responsibilities and border control functions.