Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Under the model every district officer superintendent will take ownership of community policing in his or her district. A community policing team will be established in each district, headed up by a sergeant. Four deployment models were used, depending on the type of location. The models are based on four categories of district, namely a busy city centre, a suburban district, a large provincial town, and a rural one. Clear objectives will be set out such as high visibility in the community, ease of contact by members of the public, enhanced support for crime prevention strategies such as neighbourhood watch, community alert and business watch.

In response to Deputy Carey's point about a force within a force, that is a matter for the Garda Síochána. I have heard Members talk about that but it has not been proposed to me or to my Department. The designation of police is a matter for the Garda Commissioner not for me, nor should it be.

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