The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Michael McDowell, T.D., along with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr Dick Roche, T.D., today launched the guidelines for the Garda Síochána/local authority joint policing committees. 

These committees, which will be made up of local authority and Oireachtas members, local authority officials, representatives of local community and voluntary organisations as well as members of An Garda Síochána, are intended to further strengthen connections between Gardaí and local communities and improve input from democratic representatives into policing policies.  The Committees are among the new structures which were provided for in the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

The project is starting with 22 committees being established on a pilot basis for about twelve months in local authority areas of varying size and composition.  The pilots will be then be subject to a detailed evaluation and any necessary changes to the Guideline can then be incorporated.  This process will be followed by the establishment of committees in all the local authority areas throughout the country.

Committees are being established in Dublin City, Galway City, and Counties Offaly and Wicklow and their associated town council areas.  In addition, because the Garda Siochana Act requires that before a community CCTV scheme can be installed in an area the local authority for that area must consult with the local Joint Policing Committee, Minister McDowell is providing funding for the establishment of 13 community CCTV schemes in 11 locations (Athy, Ballinasloe, Drogheda, Fingal, Letterkenny, Limerick City, Mallow, Sligo, Tralee, Tuam, Waterford).

Special provision is being made for Dublin City.  Due to the size of the Dublin City administrative area, the guidelines provide for the establishment of five subcommittees corresponding to the city's local areas.

Each Department is providing 300,000 Euro in funding for the current year in order to provide for the resourcing of these committees - a total of 600,000 Euro.  Future resource requirements will be reviewed as the Joint Policing Committees initiative is expanded.

Speaking at the joint launch today in Store Street Garda Station, Minister McDowell said, "The Joint Policing Committees will have the capacity to fundamentally change the nature of community policing in Ireland.

Policing of our society cannot take place in a vacuum where An Garda Síochána itself decides how policing is to be carried out without taking on board any views from the community.

Community input is not only democratically desirable but is also required for the policing of our increasingly complex and diverse society to be more effective."

Minister Roche said, "Joint Policing Committees will enhance the ability of communities and An Garda Síochána to make a valuable input into the many areas of a local authority's activities which impact on policing and combating crime and anti-social behaviour.

It is intended that committees will operate in a co-operative manner and with a minimum level of formality.  The guidelines seek to strike a balance between establishing committees which are representative of the community and its elected representatives while at the same time ensuring they are not so large as to be unable to function effectively."

A Joint Policing Committee (JPC) will have the following range of functions:

• It will monitor two broad areas: firstly the levels and patterns of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in its area including patterns and levels of misuse of alcohol and drugs, and secondly the broader issue of the factors underlying and contributing to crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour;
• A JPC will advise the local authority and An Garda Síochána on how they might best perform their functions, having regard to the need to do everything feasible to improve the safety and quality of life and to prevent crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour within the area;
• It will arrange and host public meetings periodically on matters affecting the policing of the local authority area;
• It will establish, in consultation with the local Garda Superintendent, as it considers necessary within specific neighbourhoods of the local authority area, local policing fora to discuss and make recommendations to the committee on matters affecting the neighbourhood.

5 July 2006