A former top-ranked PSNI officer is set to be brought in to work with his one-time colleague Drew Harris to lead the garda change programmes.
The officer, former Chief Superintendent Ivan Farr, who was involved in counter terrorism among other operations, is set to take on the job in the coming months.
The Irish Mirror has learned that he will lead the Strategic Transformation Office in the Phoenix Park Headquarters.
It is understood that he will be appointed on a one year contract and will report to the Commissioner’s office.
A source said: “The officer underwent a full interview scenario in the recruitment phase - he was selected because of his background in difficult policing situations.
“One of the key areas for the appointee will be the proposed strategy of offering a severance package to senior officers.
“He will asked to produce a plan on how An Garda Siochana will cut back on Assistant Commissioner, Chief Superintendent and Superintendent ranks.
“He will come up with the strategy for the targeted redundancy package.
“The Strategic Transformation Office is going to be a difficult post, it will involve coming up with a lot of strategies that may be met with disquiet among the ranks.”
It is understood that Mr Farr has worked all his service in the RUC and PSNI and is seen as a “straight down the line” officer.
A source, who knows the former officer, said: “He is hugely well known in the PSNI as a manager who was very straight and down the line.
“He has a very strict view on wrong doing and will certainly involve that outlook in decision making.
“He has retired in recent times and is now involved in contract work.”
Commissioner Drew Harris speaks out for the first time on jeep crash at Garda HQ
The Department of Justice, who gave the green light to the appointment, were asked about the contract but refused to comment and referred queries to the gardai.
A garda spokesman said: “The Report of the Commission on the future of Policing in Ireland identified that An Garda Síochána will need an injection of technical capacity and skills to support the level of change in this report and particularly in the initial phase of implementation, which is critical in any change programme.
“In response to that recommendation, An Garda Síochána is seeking to engage a range of external expertise to support change management, project managements and specific other skill sets for major projects.
"Given the timeframes for the delivery of projects under the action plan for the delivery of a Policing Service for the Future, a contractor has been appointed to the Strategic Transformation Office approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.”
