Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The premise of the Deputy's question is how we can have more Garda visibility within our communities. This is number one about ensuring that we have more gardaí and, obviously, the more we have, the more we have in our communities, towns and villages, be it behind the desk, on front-line duties, working in the specialist units that are being developed, economic crime, online fraud, the new types of crimes that are being committed, domestic violence and, obviously, community engagement as well.

There are other ways through which members of the Garda can be even more visible when one thinks about the fact that our Garda stations and teams are also online. I attended my own joint policing committee, JPC, yesterday where our sergeant talked about the Garda's own Facebook presence, how the force is engaging with people on Instagram, how it is communicating what is going on in an area, and how people can contact them. There is a visibility online as well as a physical one in communities with people.

There has been the development of the community safety partnerships which is an important way in which all members of the community can engage with An Garda Síochána because it is not just our local councillors and representatives in a JPC, but it involves Tusla, our education providers, the HSE, local community groups and organisations, and minority groups. This is a way for people to engage with An Garda Síochána within the communities which, perhaps, has also not existed to date.

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