The Policing Authority has completed a selection competition for the purpose of making appointments to the rank of Superintendent in the Garda Síochána. The competition was announced on the Policing Authority website on 5 May 2021. Officers with at least two years at the rank of Inspector in the Garda Síochána or the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were eligible to apply.
The competition was carried out in accordance with the Authority's functions under section 13 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 relating to appointments to the ranks of Assistant Commissioner, Chief Superintendent and Superintendent, the governing regulations and the Authority’s Statement of Practice for the competition.
The Authority established a panel of candidates based on the Order of Merit determined by the Selection Board for this competition at its meeting of 28 July 2021.
A total of 131 applications were received with a breakdown by gender and organisation as follows:
| By Gender | No. of Applications | By Employing Organisation | No. of Applicants |
| Male | 107 | Garda Síochána | 131 |
| Female | 24 | PSNI | 0 |
| Total | 131 |
