Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I concur with the Cathaoirleach's comments and welcome the Minister for Justice. She is no stranger to this House. We value the fact that she is the front-line Minister and has ultimate responsibility for the administration of justice, policing and many other aspects of her Department's work.I thank her for being here. I appreciate her coming to House to deal with this important matter.

When we talk about policing, the key word is partnership. It is critical that we engage with our city and county councillors, the Garda Síochána, local authorities and the business community - all the stakeholders in our community. The Minister will be very familiar with the joint policing committees, JPCs, and the aim behind them, which is for greater consultation, co-operation, engagement and synergy in the administration of policing in our local areas. Traditionally, JPCs have been made up of the chairpersons of the local representatives, Garda officers nominated by the Garda Commissioner, local authority members and Members of the Oireachtas. That is really important because it is one of the few occasions when city and county councillors meet in a more formal structured way with Oireachtas Members to deal with policing. Partnership policing is about consultation, considers recommendations and supports the policing structures in place on the ground. With her vision for tackling crime and making our streets and our communities safer places, the Minister knows that we need to draw on the strength and expertise of all the stakeholders in this.

There has been some communication which is misleading to say the least. A number of councillors from all parties and none have contacted my office in the past week to ask what is going on. There seem to be misunderstandings. There has been some suggestion that there may be no city and county councillors on the committees. That is not my understanding, but it is important to have a look at the matter. Whatever way we call it, ultimately it is about co-operation and facilitating stakeholders to participate in a policing process. I ask the Minister to take the opportunity to set out her stall. She is driving the policy. It is her key competence and key area. It is important that we liaise with the structures on the ground. We need to have a role for An Garda Síochána and all the other stakeholders, but we also need to have a role for city and county councillors in the process. I hope the Minister can shed some light on the matter today and we can actually deal in facts rather than misunderstandings so that we can leave here today knowing her vision and plan for community policing and the role of all of the stakeholders as part of that process.