James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The rural safety forum is a real opportunity for those organisations to come together. Rural Ireland is strongly represented on the forum. Some really good discussions have taken place, from which many good ideas have come. We fund Muintir na Tíre for the text alert system. I know Muintir na Tíre is working on a number of alternative projects as well. We will continue to look at and review any proposals that come forward.

We also have the first pilot local community safety partnerships, three of which have been set up across the country. They are about bringing together the different State agencies to ensure that our communities are kept safe. Keeping our communities safe is not simply about policing and An Garda Síochána. We have to make sure that our communities have those strengths in place, using all the State apparatus to ensure that rural communities are safe and that people feel safe within their homes.

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