James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this most important matter. I hear the Senator's frustration in relation to the application process for the Monaghan town and Carrickmacross CCTV schemes, which has been ongoing since 2017. I certainly will convey the Senator's frustration on the matter to the Cabinet Minister. Just as the Government's community safety policy recognises that community safety is a whole-of-government responsibility and not solely a concern for An Garda Síochána or the Department of Justice, the strength of the CCTV schemes nationwide results from the collaboration at community level, with gardaí, local authorities and community groups all playing their part to create an effective and robust CCTV scheme. In parallel with the enhancement of community CCTV schemes through the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022, the Government's community safety policy will be given a statutory basis in the new policing, security and community safety Bill that is being developed by the Department of Justice. The partnerships intend to bring all services and the community together at local authority level, replacing the existing joint policing communities.They will serve as a forum for discussion and decisions on community priorities and CCTV schemes will undoubtedly feature very much among such priorities. Each partnership will be responsible for developing a community safety plan and lessons learned from the pilot phase will be used to inform the roll-out of the partnership model across the State following the enactment of the policing, security and community safety Bill.