Garda Commissioner Drew Harris took on the role as head of Ireland's police force in September 2018.
The 55-year-old Belfast native has had a distinguished policing career which has spanned almost four decades having working in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Former colleagues in the north have described him a very decent human being.
Harris is responsible for Ireland's policing and State security in his post as Garda Commissioner.
He has held the role of head of the gardai for over two years and earns €250,000-per-annum.
Drew took over from Donal O Cualain, was appointed after a lengthy international campaign for the Garda No1 spot.
His family were involved in policing also, Drew's father Alwyn Harris, was a senior RUC officer who was killed by the Provisional IRA in 1989.
His mother survived the atrocity in which semtex was placed under the car the couple were travelling in.
Drew began as a police officer in Northern Ireland in 1983 when he joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
He worked as a police officer for the following 34 years, including four years spent as Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI from October 2014
Harris graduated with a BA Degree in Politics and Economics from the Open University.
He also completed a Strategic Command Course in 2004 and a Leadership in International Counter Terrorism Course in 2006.
Drew got a masters degree in Criminology from the University of Cambridge in 2007.
In 2010, he finished the FBI's National Executive Institute programme for senior law enforcement officers.
Drew was awarded an (OBE) in 2010 and also a Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) in 2019.
An Garda Siochana is made of some 18,000 members which includes 14,000 gardai, around 500 resverve gardai and 3,000 administartion and support staff.
In the PSNI, he was previously responsible for the Crime Operations Department and is regarded as an expert in dealing with high risk covert policing operations and critical incidents.
