Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

It goes without saying that all gardaí have responsibility towards the communities they service. The vision I have of a community policeman is someone who is highly visible, and uses the media almost the same way that politicians do, so that he or she is known right throughout the town or district concerned. He or she must be seen in many clubs, handing out prizes. Instead of being reactors, they should be preventers of crime taking place and work with the social services much of the time. Does the Minister intend to provide any guidance to the Garda as regards a specific definition of community policing? It is loose at the moment. To say that all gardaí are community police is diluting the term, which needs to be more focused.

See this speech in context