Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 3 October 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Community Policing and Rural Crime: Discussion

9:00 am

Photo of Donnchadh Ó LaoghaireDonnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree with that. It speaks to what is in the Commission on the Future of Policing report and treating policing as a profession. This is a skill. I take on board the point made by Dr. Connolly. I have said that every garda should view himself or herself as a community garda and be community-oriented. My concern is at the other end of the equation. Where there is a good community garda and functioning structure, there is a focal point for contact and concern. However, it is just not the same if the approach is to get people to contact the station and any of the lads or ladies will help. It is not quite the same. I am sure any of them would do their best but one does not build up the same relationship as somebody whose primary purpose is to liaise and work with the community in developing initiatives. It is my view but I maintain an open mind on it.

I have a view on fora. Notification can be an issue and the community as a whole often does not know these are ongoing. Gardaí and local authorities, etc., must improve at getting the word out. Public participation networks, PPNs, are great but these involve the people most switched on to what is happening in community structures and organisations anyway, so simply contacting them does not mean it will get to the wider community.

I have a few questions for Foróige, with one or two for Muintir na Tíre. There is an issue with the tendering of youth diversion projects and some people have expressed concerns about it. Will the witnesses comment on that? Is Foróige happy enough with how juvenile liaison officers and community policing are tied together? We are not specifically addressing the juvenile liaison process here but should there be more focus on it? Much policing time, especially in urban areas, is taken up by gardaí being contacted to address anti-social behaviour, although much of the time the behaviour is not anti-social but just involves large groups of young people congregating.

Gardaí then move them on to another place. Someone else then rings the Garda station and they are moved again. Sometimes those young people are involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour, but quite often they are not. I believe a huge amount of time is wasted because An Garda Síochána has to address constantly the fact that there are not enough places for young people between the ages of 14 and 17 to go, particularly those who are not interested in sport. They do not have a place to go to, so they stay in. That is an issue we have to address. Where do we expect these young people to be if not at home if they are not into sport? The lack of infrastructure means that gardaí are constantly shifting people on to the next place. It is true that sometimes there are real issues, such as anti-social behaviour and crime. Quite often, however, no such issues arise.

In terms of Muintir na Tíre, the issue of community CCTV has been discussed at this committee regularly. Data protection concerns arise. I can see both sides of the matter. It is valuable for tackling crime. How might data protection issues be addressed? Do the witnesses have any concerns? How do they envisage the scheme working?

I am mostly focusing on Muintir na Tíre, but anecdotally the targeted theft of tradesmen's equipment is a significant issue at the moment. People are being snooped on. Those responsible are researching their victims online. Expensive equipment is being targeted in a dedicated way, and people's livelihoods are threatened. Have the witnesses come across that issue? Do they have any views as to the solution? It is only recorded as a theft, but it can devastate a household.

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