Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 July 2024
551. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Justice to detail what is understood by her Department and An Garda Síochána as constituting community policing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29826/24]
View answerCommunity policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána, and all Gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the course of carrying out their duties. Community policing is also fundamental to the new Garda Operating Model which is currently being rolled out in all 21 Divisions, and is fully commenced in 14.
The new model will provide more frontline Gardaí and increased Garda visibility, and will deliver a wider range of policing services for people in their local area. It will divide service delivery within divisions into four functional areas, one of the most important areas being Community Engagement. This will allow for a greater, more consistent, focus on community policing in all divisions.
As the Deputy may be aware the Community Policing Framework was introduced by the Garda Commissioner in 2020. In developing the Framework, An Garda Síochána engaged with key stakeholders, internal and external, to identify the policing requirements of communities.
An Garda Síochána listened to the guidance from their oversight agencies and carefully considered the recommendations contained in relevant reports on delivery of a community policing service (Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland’s report, ‘The Future of Policing in Ireland, 2018’; Garda Síochána Inspectorate Report, ‘Crime Investigation, 2014’ and ‘Policing with Local Communities 2018’; and the KC Consulting Report on Community Policing 2017).
The Framework is accompanied by Community Policing Framework Guidelines for each and every member of An Garda Síochána and Garda staff. The guidelines provide An Garda Síochána with key principles that must be adhered to in order to deliver an effective community policing service, responsive to the needs of a modern and diverse community.
As defined in the guidelines, 'Community Policing' is the provision of a policing service to the whole community, both urban and rural, through a partnership-based, proactive, problem-solving style of policing. It is focused on community engagement, crime prevention and law enforcement and addresses crime and policing quality of life issues affecting communities.
The Garda authorities have advised me that a member of An Garda Síochána can be deemed to be a ‘Community Garda’ where that person is allocated to a Community Policing Team (CPT) and is responsible and accountable for applying a problem–solving approach to appropriate crime and policing quality-of-life issues in a specified geographic area through partnership and engagement. Examples of this engagement are working with Neighbourhood Watch, Community Alert, or local business fora.
Community Policing Teams strategically manage and lead the development, delivery and evaluation of the Garda Community Policing Framework. Like most Garda members, those assigned to CPTs have dual functions. In addition to their strategic roles in their Community Policing Teams, part of which requires them to regularly update their Community Engagement Superintendent on the policing needs of their community, they are also frontline members. It is also important to note that CPTs draw on all frontline Gardaí to carry out community policing.
