Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The title of the report is Report on Community Policing and Rural Crime. It has been a welcome report but looking at the title, I am not sure if it is helpful to distinguish between rural and urban crime because crime is crime. I read today that the armed response unit is on the streets of Longford and the north inner city of Dublin has seen the armed response unit on our streets quite a number of times in recent years. The point can be made about the vulnerability and isolation of those living in isolated rural areas but isolation and vulnerability are also found in towns and cities and response times can also vary in towns and cities.

What is common to both rural and urban crime? We know it is violence, assault - general and domestic, robbery, public order offences and drug dealing, which, until recent times, had been confined to cities and to a certain part of Dublin city. Now, there is not a town or village in Ireland that is not experiencing the drugs trade, whether through people being in addiction, through the dealing of drugs or through intimidation and violence.

I want to refer to a programme we have had in the north inner city for 20 years, which I believe has been very effective, namely the community policing forum, CPF. It came from the community and from the very serious drug-related and anti-social issues the community in the north-east inner city faced. It is aligned with proposals in the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, and it is also recommended in the Mulvey report, which is specific to the north inner city, on the delivery of community and Garda engagement. While crime is a matter for the Garda, there is a role for the community and what we found was that a partnership between the community and the Garda was very important.

While the CPF was specific to drug dealing, there were other drug-related issues such as violence and intimidation with which it engaged. The philosophy of the CPF was twofold. First, the philosophy was that the community would have a role, both in identifying and in resolving the drug-related problems which come to its attention and second, an inter-agency approach to be adopted in attempts to overcome those drug-related problems. It was a model of good practice in building relations between the community, the Garda and the local authority on issues.

All of this was exacerbated in recent years because of feud-related incidents and violence. Those involved in the CPF knew first-hand, the value of a positive role which delivered solutions to the problems being faced by residents on a daily basis. Key to that was the relationship between the Garda and the community. Part of the process was accessibility at local level, with CPF meetings in the various communities, where the residents could address the Garda in an open forum. The Garda would attend and it would be anyone from the community garda, the sergeant, the inspector to the superintendent, even the chief superintendent on occasions.

I know that joint policing committees, JPCs, are presented as a way forward but from my personal experience from both JPCs and the CPF meetings, I have no doubt in my mind that the CPF is much more valuable in addressing the issues in a prompt and open way. It is that accountability, where gardaí come in and face the community, take questions, comments and criticisms from the community, that led to a confidence in the Garda and a trust, whereby the residents, through the confidentiality of the CPF, brought information to the Garda. We know how important that sort of information and knowledge is in addressing this crime. The Garda was also involved in what was called the small area policing programme in the north inner city, where small areas would have a designated community garda, who would be contactable and be known to the community in that particular area and with whom the community would have a relationship.

Intimidation is a major factor in drug-related crime and we have had many examples of intimidation of individuals and families over drug debt. This debt builds up and then those who are in debt are made to do so-called jobs, whether it is setting a car on fire, setting a house on fire or carrying out assault and even murder. Our experience was that a model such as the CPF can be effective, especially for those in a difficult situation so that they can have somebody with whom they can communicate in that confidential way, work with the Garda and find solutions.

I make these points in contribution to this debate on community policing and crime based on our experience in the north inner city. Even though our CPF was in existence for 20 years, regrettably, because of a need for a different funding stream, we have had to close it but I have no doubt of the value of that model and I would hope its successor will broaden that engagement. In broadening the engagement, it is important that it commits to working with young people. Like areas that are caught up with drugs, communities lose very wonderful young people with great potential to the drug trade, either by getting involved in addiction themselves or through dealing.

There must be engagement with new communities. In some parts of Dublin, more than 50% of the residents comprise new communities.

I note what the Minister said about the Stormont House Agreement. Earlier this afternoon, I attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, at which there was an interesting address on legacy issues. Much depends on the Stormont House Agreement for those who have been waiting. The Minister knows how long they have waited, having spoken in Talbot Street to commemorate the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. The British Government has utterly ignored Dáil motions and has blocked several initiatives. Much depends on cross-Border co-operation. There is a frustration in the Police Service of Northern Ireland at the slowness of responses from the Garda on certain issues. That has been brought to our attention through the committee and the ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

I welcome what the Minister said about training for gardaí in mental health issues because it is necessary. I make another plea, on animal welfare, which is another cause of mine. Sometimes, gardaí in certain areas are not well up on aspects of the law on animal welfare.

I acknowledge the work of the justice committee under Deputy Ó Caoláin's chairmanship. The report will be very good for the relationships between communities and the Garda.

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