Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 February 2025
841. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Justice to consider reinstating the joint policing committees (JPCs) that have been replaced by community safety partnerships, or reforming the latter to undo the reduction of local democratic input into policing matters, that resulted from the abolition of JPCs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3460/25]
View answerA key principle of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland is that community safety requires multi-agency cooperation working in partnership with An Garda Síochána and crucially with communities themselves. The Report recommended the establishment of national and local structures to bring together Departments and State agencies involved in harm prevention to promote community safety.
The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 provides for the establishment of this national infrastructure, central to which are Local Community Safety Partnerships which will operate at each local authority level. They are building upon the good work undertaken through Joint Policing Committees and supplementing it by bringing together a broader range of stakeholders including local councillors, An Garda Síochána, local residents, community representatives, business and education representatives, and a range of statutory agencies including the HSE, Tusla and each local authority.
Local elected representatives have an important role to play in the Partnerships, each of which will have seven elected council members as part of its mandated membership. In addition, all local elected representatives will have further opportunity to attend meetings of their local Partnership.
