Sergeant Declan Higgins Announced as New President of AGSI
Co Mayo Native, Now Based in Louth Takes Over as AGSI President
Retiring President Paul Curran during his final National Executive meeting this week congratulating National Executive Representative for the Leinster Region, Sergeant Declan Higgins on his appointment as the new President of the AGSI.
Sergeant Declan Higgins is a member of the Louth Roads Policing Unit since 2019 and is based in Dundalk.
A Co Mayo native from the village of Knock, he has 27 years of service to An Garda Síochána.
Sgt Higgins has ‘proudly spent’ his entire career in front-line uniformed policing.
His first placement from the Garda College was Drogheda, Co Louth, where he settled to raise a family of two children after having met his wife Susan.
He was previously stationed in Drogheda, Drumad, and Monaghan Garda Stations.
He has always felt a strong vocation to Roads Policing having been affected early in his career by the attendance at, and investigating of, a fatal road traffic collision of a young man.
Sgt Higgins is very active in major emergency and event management. He was highly involved in the scripting and implementation of the policing plans for the visit of President Joe Biden to Louth in April 2023 and recently featured in the RTE documentary “On The Beat,” leading a cross-border policing operation.
Sgt Higgins has completed third-level studies in Accountancy, Dispute Resolution, GDPR, and Human Rights.
He has 20 years of experience representing his colleagues with both the GRA and AGSI. He has been a Leinster Representative on the AGSI National Executive Committee since 2021. He also holds the position of Treasurer with St Paul’s Garda Medical Aid Society.
Speaking following his appointment Sgt Higgins said, “I hope to aid in the advancement of the great work being done by the AGSI in improving the working environment, conditions, and welfare within An Garda Síochána for our membership and for the organisation as a whole. We strive to assist in creating a future where policing in Ireland is an attractive career choice.
“To do so, we will continue to work collaboratively with Garda Management and all Government departments to confront the major challenges facing An Garda Síochána surrounding the Operating Model, pensions and recruitment and retention.”
