Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I encourage Members to look at An Garda Síochána's strategy statement for the coming year, which outlines the priority areas in terms of the work of, investment in and direction of An Garda Síochána. Community policing is identified as a priority in that statement. We are fortunate in Ireland with regard to the relationship between An Garda Síochána and the local community. A number of people have said that they feel that is in danger of being lost at present. The new recruitment will help to deal with the issue and it is a priority area. An Garda Síochána and the Commissioner recognise, as I have emphasised repeatedly, the importance of community policing as a front line of defence against criminal activity and in supporting communities. Of course, policing is also changing in many ways in terms of the challenges of cyber-crime, terrorism and security, and gardaí need to be appropriately equipped. We need to look in particular at the interoperability of our Irish systems with international databases, which is an ongoing challenge that I intend to address.

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