The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, today congratulated Detective Inspector Paul Gillen of An Garda Síochána on his appointment as Head of Operations at the newly established European Cyber Crime Centre in EUROPOL in The Hague.
Minister Shatter said "I wish to congratulate Paul on this appointment. It is a wonderful achievement and a great reflection not just on him personally but also on the Garda Síochána and indeed Ireland. It is particularly significant that this appointment, which was made following a competitive process confined to serving police officers throughout Europe, should take place early in Ireland's presidency of the European Union."
The establishment of the unit came from the endorsement by the Council of the European Union of a new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol which in turn was a response to the European Commission's communication "Tackling Crime in our Digital Age: Establishing a European Cybercrime Centre". The Centre is to become the focal point in the EU’s fight against cybercrime, contributing to faster reactions in the event of cyber attacks. It will support Member States and the European Union’s institutions in building operational and analytical capacity for investigations and cooperation with international partners.
The Minster also said that "Tackling cybercrime, which has no borders, is a priority for Ireland and for Europe at this time.
As chairperson of the Government’s Task Force on Emergency Planning, which includes an inter-departmental committee on Cyber Security, I am only too well aware of the threats that cyber crime poses to citizens, to commercial activities, and, most importantly, to children.
Next week I will host an informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Dublin. We are also looking forward to the anticipated joint statement by the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on a European Strategy for cyber security in early 2013. The aim of the strategy is to achieve a safe, secure and resilient digital environment for all EU citizens, businesses and public bodies and to strengthen the EU’s contribution to international cooperation on cyber security and combating cyber crime. During the Presidency, Ireland will work to advance the development of an integrated and coherent approach to cyber security at EU level to promote business and consumer trust and confidence which will drive online growth. I also believe that that there be should be the maximum level of connectivity between Justice and Defence Ministers at EU level in dealing with the whole area of cyber security.
The establishment of the European Cyber Crime Centre will complement these developments and we are delighted to have a person of Paul’s skills and experience as Head of Operations at this new Centre.”
11 January 2013
ENDS
Note for Editors:
Paul Gillen is a native of Dublin and joined An Garda Síochána in 1983. He currently holds the rank of Detective Inspector. He previously served in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, Limerick and has been attached to Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation since 2004. D/Inspector Gillen holds a Masters of Science in Computer Science (MSc). On appointment to the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation he was assigned responsibility for the Computer Crime Investigation Unit and special liaison to the National Cyber Security Centre.
He has extensive national and international experience in the area of IT Security and cyber crime.
He will be on special leave without pay from An Garda Síochána for the duration of his assignment with EUROPOL.