Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this Bill and its four main objectives of strengthening the oversight of An Garda Síochána, enhancing its governance, improving our national security infrastructure, and making the safety of communities a whole-of-government responsibility, which is particularly important.

It is timely that we are having this discussion given the context of the scenes of antisocial behaviour and deplorable attacks on gardaí we have seen and heard about recently. I commend my colleague, Senator Mary Seery Kearney, for the support she has given to her local community. We must call out this kind of behaviour for what it is - it is criminal behaviour. It is also leading to a growing discussion around the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-community approach to our policing response. This is where the Bill comes in. This landmark Bill takes on the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. It will create a brand-new framework and brand-new approach for policing, security and community safety. It is really welcome that it has been developed with key stakeholders, including An Garda Síochána and the policing oversight bodies, to take into account the experience on the ground.

Gardaí are at the coalface of preventing and responding to crime in our communities. They also play a vital role in preventing harm, particularly to vulnerable people such as those who are homeless, have addiction issues or suffer with severe mental health difficulties. It is probably a lesser recognised role of the Garda but it is a vital one nonetheless. We must recognise, especially when it comes to these more vulnerable groups, that preventing crime and harm cannot be the sole responsibility of the Garda. A wraparound approach with a whole-of-government and whole-of-community response is needed. There must be a collaborative response from Government Departments, social and community agencies, local authorities and An Garda Síochána. This is what is needed. The Bill sets out to achieve just that by making the prevention of harm a clear objective of An Garda Síochána and also by enshrining community safety as a cross-government responsibility.

From my first-hand experience, I believe community involvement and collaboration in local policing is vital. The joint policing committees, JPCs, are a really effective way of having that collaboration between the Garda and community leaders. I am a member of the South Dublin County Council joint policing committee and I value the regular opportunity for collaborative engagement with gardaí, community representatives, public representatives and the council. When it is effective, this two-way engagement can really make change.

The Bill will replace the existing JPCs with new local community safety partnerships, which are already being piloted in many areas. From what I can see, these new partnerships seem to retain a high level of community involvement. I believe some of the pilots have a split of 51% to 49% in favour of community representation, which includes residents, local activists, local business owners, youth representatives and representatives of new and minority communities, which is great to see. The remainder of the representatives are from statutory organisations such as An Garda Síochána, local authorities, the HSE, Tusla and local councillors. I am confident that local representation is very strong in this new model. This is very important. Just last night in Rathcoole, which is in my area, a policing committee meeting was held for residents of Rathcoole, Newcastle and Saggart. Unfortunately, Deputies were in the House until very late last night and I missed the event but I understand it went really well. There was a good crowd in attendance, which shows the value that communities place on collaborating with and having access to An Garda Síochána.

I will make a point about the importance of community safety in relation to public transport. Public transport providers must be consulted on this Bill. The Government must realise the role of public transport providers as key stakeholders in community safety. We have to incorporate their knowledge and understanding of the challenges in this area and ask them for their ideas on how to tackle them. In parts of Dublin, safety on public transport is a major concern for commuters and the transport operators. In some cases the threat to safety is becoming a deterrent to using public transport. This does not bode well for our carbon emissions targets or for us as a society. It leads to an environment of fear in local communities. That has to be addressed and avoided at all costs. There should be a role for public transport providers in the new community safety partnerships. I ask the Minister to use their insights and ideas to shape how we build stronger and safer communities.

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