Garda may refer to:

See also

An Garda Síochána (Irish pronunciation: [ən ˈɡaːrd̪ə ˈʃiːxaːn̪ˠə]; meaning "the Guardian of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí or "the guards" ([ˈɡaːɾˠd̪ˠiː] "Guardians"), is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish government. Its headquarters are in Dublin's Phoenix Park.

Terminology

The force was originally named the Civic Guard in English, but in 1923 it became An Garda Síochána in both English and Irish. This is usually translated as "the Guardian(s) of the Peace".Garda Síochána na hÉireann ("of Ireland", Irish pronunciation: [ˈɡaːrd̪ə ˈʃiːxaːn̪ˠə n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ]) appears on its logo but is seldom used elsewhere.

The full official title of the force is rarely used in speech. How it is referred to depends on the register being used. It is variously known as An Garda Síochána; the Garda Síochána; the Garda; the Gardaí (plural); and it is popularly called "the guards". Although Garda is singular, in these terms it is used as a collective noun, like police.

GardaWorld Corporation is a Canadian private security firm, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with 85,000 employees (by November 2015). Though GardaWorld International Protective Services, now the international division of the company, began its operations in 1984, Garda World Security Corporation was established by its Quebecer owner Stéphan Crétier in 1995, who initially invested $25,000 in the company, then named Trans-Quebec Security Inc. The company is the second largest consulting and security services firm in the world, with operations in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The company today runs heavily on physical security guard services as well as armoured car services in select countries and cities throughout the world. The firm has over 200 offices worldwide.

Activities

During the mid-2000s, GardaWorld went on a poorly timed and debt-fueled spree of acquisitions, the most crucial of which was a $391 million deal for Californian security-oriented firm ATI Systems International Inc. This deal however soon proved to be a poor choice; GardaWorld ended up suing ATI’s former CEO for allegedly misrepresenting its financial situation, while the CEO sued for wrongful dismissal.