Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for being in the House. Section 62 is very important with regard to the determination of the priorities for the service. I come from central Dublin. Twenty years ago, determining the priorities for the Garda locally in Cabra and Glasnevin was a contentious issue for the community. We came together and we got the Garda to engage with the local community and public representatives. We also engaged with the local authority. Through this we were able to identify local priorities. For the Garda as a force to have the confidence of the public generally speaking there needs to be a national plan with national priorities. The Minister, the Department and the senior management of An Garda Síochána are in a very good position to identify these priorities. My concern arises with regard to understanding how the priorities will be informed by the experiences on the ground. How will local priorities be identified and fed into the policing activities and the allocation of resources? This issue is very important.

I come from an urban community. Even within this urban community, there is a difference in requirements and the issues that arise and the experience of people of safety in public spaces, such as going to school, going to work or living. There is a contrast 1 km or 2 km from the north inner city in Cabra and Glasnevin. There is a very different street environment. I will only speak about the streets because we could speak about the canals, the parks and the shops. It is very important that every community gets to identify what its priorities are. By this, I do not mean telling the authorities what they should be doing but ensuring they are assisting the authorities to respond in a meaningful way and add value to the quality of the work they are doing for these communities.

Section 62 states the Minister may determine priorities for An Garda Síochána in performing its functions relating to security services. Section 62(1)(b) states this can include specifying the levels of performance by An Garda Síochána in respect of each priority referred to section 62(1)(a).