Dr. Johnny Connolly:

On Deputy Wallace's point about Garda stations, we have to be imaginative about this and look at co-location across agencies or in community centres. There are sometimes challenges for people talking to gardaí or going into a Garda station in a small village. It is important that the State has visibility in villages and towns. The withdrawal of post offices is problematic for many communities because, in effect, the State is withdrawing from these communities or becoming less visible in them. Community policing builds on the informal controls that already exist. We have a large number of national organisations that have a place in every single locality and village, whether the GAA, Muintir na Tíre or the Irish Farmers Association. They have an important role to play here in working with the Garda to provide facilities and so forth. That is definitely possible. It also means that agencies should co-locate.

The issue of schools is important and brings two issues to mind. I was involved with a project initiated by Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan in the north inner city where she brought schools together in a sort of convention. I wrote the report on it entitled, Just Saying, which addressed drug issues. We have to get into the space that young people are in. They were talking their own language about the drug and alcohol issues they were confronting. I did work on drug debt, a problem that came up constantly in schools. Kids were not going to school because they were in debt for drugs. Their parents may not have known. Many things happen in schools and schools have a role to play in assisting young people in getting discussing, negotiating and overcoming these problems.

I reiterate the point about interagency working. In the commission report, we have called, at a ministerial level, for a regular meeting between agencies which have a place in the community safety area, whether justice, health or youth justice. If there are such barriers to communication or data-sharing, they should be resolved at that level. A strong message coming out of our report is that we look at policing. We did not do a report on the police but on policing, which is not just about the Garda but cuts across all sectors of society. I hope that emphasis is reflected in the committee's work too.