Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has come out fighting over a proposed work to rule by Chief Superintendents.
The country’s top police officers are at loggerheads with the Commissioner and are “unhappy” over his leadership.
The powerful Association of Chief Superintendents have already met with him to protest over a number of issues, from reforms to increased civilisation.
But now a defiant Commissioner Harris has written to each of the Chiefs directing them to comply with his orders and stating it was their legal duty to do so.
A source said: “The Chiefs are far from happy and made that known to the main man, but now he has shown his tough side and told them that a work to rule was illegal.”
It’s understood that a direction to comply was issued to every Chief Superintendent in the country to toe the official line.
The source said: “He has taken a very militant approach to his senior officers. In effect, they have been issued with a threatening legal instruction.”
The chief supers, who run the 14,000-strong force on a daily basis, claim the Commissioner is not consulting with them fully in his role as head of the gardai.
The senior police officers say they want to be kept in the loop on serious matters affecting the force - and asked their opinions.
They feel they have been left out when it comes to discussing reforms and are not consulted over the increased civilisation of the force.
A proposal to take on 26 senior civil servants with the title of Assistant Principal Officer is causing tensions at a time when there is a push to get top officers to retire, sources said.
A package is on the table for superintendents, chief supers and assistant commissioners of around €40,000 to €50,000 to take early retirement.
The severance deal is only available to those who have less than six months left to serve.
The chief supers are also looking to have an availability allowance of around €5,000 restored.
The force currently has 13,751 sworn members with another 549 reserve gardai.
