Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I move:

That Seanad Éireann–- recognises the role of joint policing committees in facilitating consultation, cooperation and synergy on policing and crime issues between An Garda Síochána, local authorities and elected local representatives;
- recognises the work of joint policing committees in facilitating the participation of the community and voluntary sectors in policing matters;
- recognises the contribution of joint policing committees to the work of An Garda Síochána in the area of community policing;
- calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality to consider the enhancement of the role of the joint policing committees to include a collaborative approach on the part of all the joint policing committee members to realise their considerable potential to benefit local communities;
- calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the implications for joint policing committees in light of the local government reforms and the establishment of the planned policing authority; and
- calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality to consider ways to support and improve the operation of joint policing committees and how they might add value to the work of local authorities, the gardaí and community organisations to include input from stakeholders who are not joint policing committee members.

They were piloted until 2008 and then they were rolled out on a national basis. Up until now the system of joint policing committees has been piloted. The real work of policing committees will probably start with those formed as a result of the local elections last May. There is no doubt that some of the local joint policing committees were very successful. Others were not so successful, but the important thing is that many lessons and better ways of doing business have been learned from the experience of the joint policing committees since 2008.
I am happy to acknowledge the role of Fianna Fáil when it was in government in establishing the joint policing committees. The challenge for us is to ensure that they work better and that whatever lessons were to be learned have been learned. To that end, the Government must be commended for initiating a review in 2012, which saw up to 60 submissions on how we can do our business better. That review has now been incorporated into the new guidelines on the new joint policing committees, which were issued by the Department to local authorities.
One of the big lessons that we can learn - and that hopefully will be learned - about making joint policing committees more successful, is to ensure that there is effective community involvement. Until now community involvement was haphazard, to say the least. The first port of call in examining the pulse of a community is the councillors and then to a lesser extent, though still important, Members of the Oireachtas. Policing committees are currently driven by the elected councillors that serve on them but in order to give an overall flavour of what is happening on the ground, to ensure that the policing plans - the one-year and six-year plans, which are regarded in the new guidelines as being critical - are effective, the community involvement must improve. I welcome the Minister's proposal that local policing committees in each county be given leverage to identify appropriate people within community groups to participate. What may be appropriate in Cork may not work in Clare, and what is appropriate in both Cork and Clare may not work in Galway, so this scope for joint policing committees to identify appropriate local community involvement on the committees must be welcomed.
We must learn the lessons from all the policing committees and that must be channelled into one overall report. There is a statutory obligation on policing committees to publish a report, which is made available to the Minister, but there is much to be said for putting all the reports together into one overarching report, which could be examined by the justice committee on an annual basis, because there is no point in having policing committees unless they feed into national policy as well as providing important local involvement. The joint policing committees are, in effect, giving a statutory format and mechanism to what has existed in our communities on an ad hocbasis for decades. There has been over many years a great relationship between the community and An Garda Síochána and, indeed, between public representatives and An Garda Síochána. Unfortunately, with the modernisation of society and, to a large extent, the urbanisation of society, many gardaí who would have lived and worked in certain divisions now do not live in the division and just come to work there. This may be a good thing in many ways - their free time is their free time. The understanding of the local garda, who lived and worked in the community - and may even lived in the Garda station - has diminished. Once that local knowledge and sense of community involvement and feedback - and the sense communities had that they were listened to - as a result of that old-style, ad hocstructure dissolved to a large extent, we had to look at doing something on a more formalised basis. Given the many, welcome changes taking place within An Garda Síochána, including the new policing authority and the appointment of a new Commissioner early next year, it is imperative that we ensure that the joint policing committees play a fundamental role in the new policing that we will experience over the coming years.
On the amendments to the motion, the amendment tabled by Fianna Fáil merely outlines cutbacks and what has been done and so on. I mean no disrespect to the people who have tabled it, but I do not feel it is relevant to this particular motion. This motion is specifically about joint policing committees. It does not deal with Garda resources, reductions in the number of vehicles, closing of Garda stations, and so on. On those points, I welcome what the Minister announced in the budget yesterday. We will certainly see a firming-up of the Garda fleet and new recruits in Templemore over the coming months. Perhaps the budget - or so I would hope - has addressed many of the concerns that were expressed in this amendment, so Fianna Fáil may consider not pressing it.
The amendment tabled by Sinn Féin presents food for thought. The new guidelines will probably address many of Sinn Féin's concerns - the public meetings it calls for joint policing committees to carry out, and so on. Many joint policing committees are already holding that type of meeting. Either way, I welcome the debate. I am glad people tabled amendments because it means that they are exercised by the motion.
The future of the joint policing committees is very bright and their role is very important. It is essential that we ensure that the next five years of the joint policing committees are even more successful than the last five or six years. It is new to Ireland, it is a relatively new initiative, but now is the time to bed it down and to ensure it really works on behalf of the people of Ireland - to ensure that there is proper, effective consultation, communication, understanding between public representatives, community groups and, indeed, An Garda Síochána.
I commend the motion to the House.

Terry Brennan (Fine Gael)
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I second the motion. As Senator Conway has stated, a total of 31 joint policing committees will operate in the city and county council areas that remain after the recent change to local government structures. Joint policing committees should take a strategic and collaborative approach to policing issues. Committees are encouraged to hold meetings in different parts of each local authority. That is a good idea and takes place in my own county, Louth. The making of an annual report, which is the statutory duty of joint policing committees, JPCs, is emphasised. There are new requirements for JPCs to develop six-year and annual strategic plans and proper communication strategies to support interaction with local communities. I cannot overemphasise the importance of that.

In relation to community representatives, each JPC should decide the most appropriate community-based organisations or groups to be represented. In doing so, joint policing committees should have regard to relevant guidelines on community representation, which may be issued by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. The guidelines also state that to the greatest extent possible the objectives of achieving a 40% gender balance in the making of appointments, as well as the need to foster social inclusiveness and equality when selecting membership, should be adhered to.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 1:

"To delete all words after 'Seanad Éireann' and substitute the following:
-noting that Garda numbers have fallen from a peak of 14,500 in 2010 to approximately 12,900 today;
-acknowledging the fact that over 139 Garda stations and 17 courthouses have been closed since 2011;
-recognising that many of our prisons are over capacity and that over 600 prisoners are on temporary release;
-highlighting the fact that murder increased in Ireland by 33.3% from the second quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2014 while burglary offences
increased by 1,072 and theft offences went up by 930 in Dublin in the same period; and
-agreeing that the thousands of bench warrants and court summons which remain outstanding fundamentally undermine our criminal justice system;

-establish a new dedicated Garda Síochána public order unit for Dublin city centre to address the serious anti-social behaviour on the capital's main
thoroughfares;
-commit to the recruitment of 500 extra gardaí next year;
-outline detailed plans to tackle the prevalence of drugs in both urban and rural areas in Ireland;
-protect the Department of Justice and Equality budget from any reduction in resources in 2015; and
-develop a new national criminal justice strategy to improve the functioning of our court and prison systems."

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, to the House. It is always welcome to have debates on justice matters, particularly on policing, particularly the day after the budget when there has been a welcome announcement of increased funding for the Department of Justice and Equality Vote of €140 million since budget day last year, including a 68% increase in capital funding.

I commend Senator Martin Conway and his Fine Gael colleagues on tabling the motion which is specifically about joint policing committees. In tabling the amendments, Fianna Fáil, in particular, has broadened the ambit of the debate to cover policing more generally. The Sinn Féin amendment more directly addresses the issue of joint policing committees. I do not think there is a significant amount of difference between all of us on the amendments or the motion and we tend to have constructive debates on justice in this House and in the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on which Senators Conway, O'Donovan and I serve. We should approach the motion in a constructive manner because this is not an issue on which it is appropriate to conduct an adversarial debate as there is much common ground in the amendments and in the motion.

In regard to the more general issues of policing raised in the amendments, the Fianna Fáil amendment recognises that our prisons are over capacity and that more than 600 prisoners are on temporary release. I would point out that in recent years we have witnessed a real drop in the numbers of persons in our prisons which is a welcome development. In the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality we produced a report on penal reform which called for reductions in the numbers of people imprisoned. We have seen the development of a very successful community return programme which has had positive outcomes in terms of lowering recidivism rates. We are seeing real progress being made in the prison system to reduce the use of prison and to ensure that people are getting better rehabilitation. We also see a reduction in crime figures. I am aware the Fianna Fáil amendment highlights certain increases but it should also acknowledge general decreases in crime rates.

In terms of what the Fianna Fáil amendment calls on the Government to do, the announcement made in the Budget Statement yesterday answers many of the issues raised. We are all delighted to welcome not only the increase in capital funding but the fact that recruitment has commenced in the Garda Síochána. We have seen that 100 recruits commenced training in September and that there will be an intake of 200 more recruits to Templemore next year. That is really positive. Another positive is the investment in the Garda fleet with €10 million secured for more than the much-needed 400 new Garda vehicles. It has become quite fashionable to refer to the "Love/Hate" programme in the context of the budget, but I was struck by a comment of one of the gardaí in the programme about the quality of the car he was being forced to drive in pursuit of one of Nidge's gang. I am sure the announcement in the budget will resolve the issue of inadequate vehicles being used by the Garda in this scenario.

Apart from resourcing, it is important to note other reforms that have been made in terms of policing more generally. Certainly at the start of the year there was a major focus on identified weaknesses in our policing system and problems with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, which itself was a reforming Act introduced by a previous Government. We have seen in the months since those issues emerged, in particular through the Guerin report, how these weaknesses and problems in policing can be resolved. I have welcomed in the House already the announcement that we will have a new policing authority. This is a significant reform. An independent policing authority has been Labour Party policy for some time and is in keeping with the model of policing in Northern Ireland. It is very welcome that a new commissioner will be recruited through a new process.

Within the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, as the Minister is well aware, we conducted our own review of the reforms that are needed to the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and that report on the reforms that we published last week following extensive hearings makes a series of recommendation that will enhance and improve the conduct of policing in Ireland, in particular the oversight of policing. We made recommendations on reforming the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission which are really important, in particular the proposal that we have a single Garda ombudsman instead of a three person model as at present and that the Garda Síochána ombudsman would have the power to conduct investigations on his or her own initiative and indeed that all members of the force, including the commissioner, would become accountable to the new Garda Síochána ombudsman.

We also made other important recommendations that did not receive the same publicity. Anyone reading the Guerin report would have been really struck by the problems he identified with the inadequate supervision of probationer gardaí. Our recommendations on that topic, namely, that adequate supervision of the activity of probationer gardaí be made a requirement, is a really important recommendation as indeed is the one that we would see improved training and resourcing of gardaí. Now that we see recruitment of the Garda being recommenced it is a very good time to implement these recommendations to consider, for example, allowing the establishment of an officer rank, as in the Metropolitan Police in London, where there is direct entry to the police for graduates. There are a number of important proposals. We have recommended opening up the Garda Síochána to Freedom of Information requests. These are the more general recommendations.

Turning to Senator Conway's specific theme of joint policing committees, I very much welcome the outcome of the review process, which has led, as we know, to new guidelines being published by the Minister in August of this year on the operation of joint policing committees. All of us who have been involved in joint policing committees, JPCs, will be aware of how effective they are in terms of maintaining a link between the community and the police. There has undoubtedly been duplication. If one goes to a local neighbourhood watch meeting, the community Garda is present and often a couple of people from the community gardaí. In Portobello, where I live, we have excellent relations with the community garda but one does feel there can be duplication and too much focus on relatively minor incidents where one has such a large number of JPCs as we had under the previous system in accordance with the 2008 guidelines.

I welcome the rationalisation of JPCs and the fact that the JPCs will operate to tightened up procedures under the new guidelines. I welcome the increased focus on community policing. That is an important aspect of Senator Conway's motion, namely, that we would see community policing being given the status it deserves. For far too long, not just in the Garda Síochána, but in police forces generally, community policing was seen as the lowest level of policing that was somehow less important than other sorts of policing. I am glad to say that we have 876 dedicated community gardaí deployed nationwide. It is important that we would have a community policing ethos, informing all levels of the Garda service. It is of major importance that it would be seen as a job that can lead to promotion in the Garda. All of us will have examples, as I have, of excellent local community garda work, not just in terms of detection and investigation of offences committed, but crime prevention as well.

It is very useful that we have this opportunity to focus on this very specific aspect of policing. We all agree on the need for reform of JPCs to make them more effective. We all approve and appreciate the work that they do and I think that is what unites us on both sides of the House. Many of the points made in the Fianna Fáil amendment in particular on a more general sense about policing are in fact in train and are being dealt with. We all recognise the need for reforms, for increased recruitment and so on, but these are measures that ongoing. I commend the Minister for her work on this.

David Norris (Independent)
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I strongly welcome the motion tabled by Senator Conway. I do not believe it requires any amendment whatever. The other amendments on several but related issues are inappropriate. I do not disagree with anything that is said in them but they are not relevant.

I should declare an interest. Some years ago I was sent an invitation - as I think were all Members of the House - to join a local joint policing committee. I joined the north inner city policing committee and we meet in City Hall. I have found these meetings extremely valuable. We get representation from local community groups who report their concerns and specific issues of policing that worry them. The police are there in force at a senior level and they give reports about crime in the area, statistics, variation and these are probed by the public representatives at those meetings. It gives an opportunity for local communities to be represented in an arena where it matters and where one can have a clear result.

In addition, traditionally the Dublin city manager has organised on a twice yearly basis lunches in City Hall, where material is presented about the way in which the city is going. The people involved are those on the joint policing committee, although there may be one or two extra people. We have had slide shows and other presentations. I think these are extremely positive developments. I was very glad to be involved. I have not had an invitation since I was unwell but it may be just that it is being re-organised. Every opportunity I have had to go there was a positive experience where our concerns were taken seriously, dealt with and a practical resolution occurred.

The first amendment in the names of the Fianna Fáil Members is redundant. They are dealing with separate issues. We know that Garda numbers have fallen and that is definitely regrettable. I accept that but it has nothing whatever to do with joint policing committees - it is to do with policing levels. It refers to the closure of 139 Garda stations and 17 courthouses since 2011. I gather the closing of courthouses has started to level off and has stopped, but I think it would be a very good idea if the police authorities were encouraged to be honest about it and to stop telling lies. They closed the police station around the corner from me off Parnell Street. I cannot remember the name of the street, it is where Dicey Reilly used to parade but it was a big station built in the 1930s. They said it was closed for redecoration, but they have kept open one little room in a Georgian house next door and recently - having told us they were restoring the building - it has re-emerged as a hostel for the homeless. This is ridiculous. If they will not tell the truth to public representatives, where are we? We would like to know the facts.

The amendment also refers to the numbers in prison that are over the capacity of the building. I think it would be much better to start closing prisons and to only put in prison people who are a danger to themselves or to society.

The building of prisons is a complete waste of time. The amendment notes that murder in Ireland increased by 33% and calls on the Government to do this, that or the other, all of which is redundant. It is the subject of another motion and is not relevant. An amendment should address directly the subject of the main motion and this amendment does not so do. Therefore, I appeal to my Fianna Fáil colleagues not to put it to a vote. If they do, I will linger around and will vote with the Government on this one because I consider it to be an excellent motion on which Senator Conway and his colleagues ought to be commended. If Fianna Fáil or Sinn Féin Members wish to table other motions, that is good because there is room for all of them. Members can then discuss such matters but can do so in the proper context. As a House, Members should unite behind the joint policing committees.

I will turn briefly to the Sinn Féin amendment. It recommends that all joint policing committees regularly convene public meetings. As far as I am aware, the meetings of joint policing committees are open to the public and so they could constitute public committees. Members of the public rarely attend and reporters rarely attend but do occasionally. Consequently, I consider these to be public meetings. Moreover, senior gardaí and appropriate local authority staff are in attendance. As for representatives of statutory agencies, they are called from time to time. As for this business about how there should be a minimum of four meetings per annum, it sounds like one of the elements of the late Myles na gCopaleen in which one might ask, "Is this a committee meeting or what? We will have four committee meetings a year". How does one know that four meetings are needed? Moreover, why is it necessary to set the dates a year in advance? This is all hogwash that simply has been put down for the sake of covering paper with print.

The Sinn Féin amendment further recommends that the Garda representative should present a report at each meeting in written format, including statistical data. They already do this but the only point I would make is most of this information is taken back from us at the end of the meetings. I suppose this is for reasons of confidentiality or whatever -I do not know - but we already get these reports.

This is an excellent motion that supports a very positive initiative. It should have strong support from all sides of the House.

Averil Power (Fianna Fail)
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I second the amendment to the motion tabled by my colleague, Senator O'Donovan, and will explain the rationale behind Fianna Fáil's decision to table an amendment that refers to resources. In common with Senator Norris, I am a member of my local joint policing committee, at which we take reports on activity in the area and the work the Garda is doing. In addition, at every meeting we also discuss the issue of resources because it is a difficulty for the gardaí locally. It is bizarre to divorce the idea of the joint policing committees from the resources the Garda is given to do its job. The committees are excellent and are good from the perspective of public representatives. I find them to be very useful in terms of interacting with the Garda and with council officials because it is often the case that were the council to do its job properly in brightening up areas that are subject to anti-social behaviour because they are dark alleyways or overgrown lane-ways and so on, it would result in the Garda being obliged to dedicate fewer resources to such matters. Consequently, it is important to have in place those partnerships, to have the local authority and the Garda working together and have public representatives as part of that process. We have held a number of local meetings and while they are not necessarily all that well attended, one gets representatives from community bodies, neighbourhood associations and people like that who interact with the Garda at such meetings, which is very useful.

However, the reason Fianna Fáil's amendment refers to resources is because the lack of resources in the justice system and the cuts that have been made in recent years are having a real impact. Moreover, this is reflected in the statistics the Garda presents to us at our joint policing committee meetings. The Minister is more than aware that there has been a huge increase in burglaries in Dublin. There was an increase of 1,000 burglaries last year, which is a serious issue. From my local perspective, it appears to be targeted in particular at areas that contain a lot of elderly people. They appear to be targeting established estates in which there are a lot of older people who are living alone. They go out to mass or to bingo or something like that during the week and return only to find their house has been burgled. This is causing a great deal of fear within the community. Similarly, there was a tiger kidnapping in Bayside recently in which, thankfully, the gardaí reacted very well and rapidly and within no time they had apprehended one of those involved.

Again, however, the gardaí can only do that for which they have the resources and in this regard one big issue concerns the Garda fleet. I appreciate that an investment in the Garda fleet was announced yesterday, as was noted by an earlier speaker. However, I am interested in whether that answers the question as to how much this actually will mean. Will it simply mean the replacement of some of the worst cars, on which the mileage is ridiculous? Will it provide proper vehicles to the Garda? The idea of gardaí attempting to chase somebody in a car with 1.4 L engine is ridiculous, as they need high-speed, high-performance vehicles to be able to keep up with those who are fleeing the scene of a crime, often on motorbikes and so on. Consequently, I consider this to be an essential issue in respect of Garda resources.

In addition, the Garda is suffering from a serious manpower problem and I followed with interest the announcement made yesterday about the 200 additional gardaí. Unless I am mistaken, that is the final tranche of the 300 additional gardaí who were announced by the then Minister, Deputy Shatter, last year. All 300 were meant to have been put in place this year in July, September and December. While the July recruitment did not take place, there was recruitment in September and I understand the Minister intends to have further recruitment in December, which I welcome. However, 300 will not even keep up with retirements, which is a point made yesterday by the Garda Representative Association. Approximately 350 people leave the force each year through retirements or for other reasons, yet over the two years only 300 recruits in total will have been brought in, which will not even retain numbers at their present levels. This is a serious issue when one considers the increase in the number of burglaries and that murders and kidnappings have increased by 30%. I believe gardaí do an exceptional job of trying to police neighbourhoods, to keep on top of crime and to have a visible presence, in order that they are not simply apprehending people at the scene of a crime but also are providing a deterrent. However, such visibility has been lacking in recent years and as the Garda Representative Association described it yesterday, 200 additional members is merely a band-aid for the Garda in terms of current resources.

This is the reason Fianna Fail referred to resources in its amendment. I fully support the sentiment in the motion regarding the importance of joint policing committees and that deserves cross-party support across the House. I welcome the earlier remarks from Senator Hayden acknowledging that Fianna Fáil in government brought in that system and Fianna Fáil will work with the Government at any level to improve it. There also is room for improvement in making sure the joint policing committees, JPCs, work better and that in particular, the public is kept informed in order that it is not simply public representatives but that there is broader visibility of the committees' work. However, it would be remiss of Members and somewhat strange to discuss the committees without considering the underlying issue of resources because I reiterate it is an issue that comes up constantly at my local JPC. I would be surprised were this not the same nationwide as people's areas are being hit by reductions in the number of gardaí on the street, by vehicles that are not being replaced and by Garda station closures, to which Fianna Fáil's amendment also makes reference. While I support the original motion in that respect, I believe that as a House, Members must send out a strong message that the Minister should be getting greater resources and that the Seanad is behind her in respect of her work at the Cabinet in doing this and in securing greater resources for the Garda in order that it can do its job effectively. It was in this spirit that we tabled the amendment.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht fanacht linn don díospóireacht seo. I bprionsabal, táimid ar son an rún atá curtha chun cinn agus aontaímid le cuid mhaith den mhéid atá ráite. I must note that although Senator Norris thought that most of Sinn Féin's amendments was hogwash, he spent a lot of time talking about it. Moreover, I do not agree with his reading of them. The Sinn Féin amendment in particular is highly pertinent to the motion that has been tabled and I welcome the comments thus far of Senators Conway and Bacik in that regard, which was that in general, they agree with the sentiment being put forward.

I welcome this Private Members' motion and commend Sinn Féin's additions to it. Sinn Féin believes confidence in justice must be created through local and democratic control, which includes civilian oversights and which introduces adequate safeguards while ensuring cultural change within organisations. The justice service, including the policing service, is a public service, and as such it must be open to all and must be representative of and accountable to the people it serves in all their diversity. To fulfil its mandate to serve the people, policing must be free from partisan political control and must be community-centred and community-based.

Policing must conform to the highest standards of human rights, accountability, impartiality, transparency and effectiveness. We must create the conditions necessary to secure widespread, pan-community confidence in policing and justice, and to promote in particular a culture of policing with the community. Policing and justice, and other social services that result in widespread experience of greater security among individuals and communities, must be delivered alongside civilian oversight of policing and justice that is democratic, fully inclusive and robust.
Sinn Féin believes that what is also needed is a change of culture to one that views crime prevention through deterrence as a multi-agency matter requiring a collaborative strategic response, not just from policing and public services but also from the business and community and voluntary sectors. There is considerable scope for introducing multi-agency crime reduction partnerships and strategies.
The responsibilities of our joint policing committees are wide and varied. They are charged with keeping the levels and patterns of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour, including misuse of alcohol and drugs, and the underlying factors contributing to these levels, under review. They are also to advise the local authority and gardaí on how they might best perform their functions; arrange and host public meetings; establish local policing fora in specific neighbourhoods where necessary; and co-ordinate the activities of those fora. Our JPCs also work to assist divisional and district Garda officers with the formulation and operation of annual policing plans.
The JPCs could facilitate joint working arrangements through collaborative partnerships between public sector partners and other bodies such as transport providers, those involved in the licensing and late night catering industries, and other relevant social, community and voluntary services to deal more effectively with specific problems emanating from the night-time economies of cities and towns, as well as daily ongoing work to make local communities safer. The aim of such crime reduction partnerships is to produce and implement agreed local crime reduction strategies. Our JPCs are invaluable but they are not nearly strong enough, and that is something we need to work to improve.
As regards powers, JPCs are merely advisory and, unlike the Northern district policing partnerships, DPPs, the police are not answerable to them. In 2008, divisional officers simply presented their annual policing plans to some JPCs as a fait accompli, while other JPCs were not given the plans. In any event, JPCs are failing to exercise the powers they have, and not enough public meetings are being held to ensure real and effective partnership with local communities.
JPCs are also under-resourced, especially compared with their northern DPP counterparts. Funding is essentially for training chairpersons and expenses. It is not clear how much funding, if any, can be used to employ dedicated staff. Currently, JPCs are staffed by already overstretched council staff. Moreover, since 2007, the allocation of funding in the annual budget has changed from the justice Vote to the Garda Vote. This means that the Garda will determine which JPCs get funding and for what purpose. It is a conflict of interest that has the potential to interfere with JPC independence. We need to work to strengthen, support and promote our JPCs to ensure they work for and with our local communities.
I regularly attend both the city and county JPC in Galway. I am allowed to be a member of one of the JPCs but I can only be an observer at the other one, although they allow me take part in the debates. In a constituency where there is a city and a county JPC, why are Oireachtas Members precluded from sitting on both, which we find very useful? The members on the JPC would often ask the Oireachtas Members to raise a matter to do with national legislation in the Seanad or the Dáil. It is often mentioned that attendance by Oireachtas representatives is not as strong as it could be in that they are invited but they do not attend as often as they could. I find it very useful to attend.
I see differences between the two JPCs. One of them has a strong strategic plan which makes great use of the sub-committee structures. It has work plans to which it adheres. The other one does not have a very good strategic plan, and the chair has not allowed that to be put forward. In contrast to what Senator Norris said, the media are regular attendees in both the JPCs in Galway, and most of the issues are covered, but certain politicians use it as a soapbox for their own ends. It is about getting the headline in the local paper as opposed to dealing with the issues at hand.
I want to raise two issues relating to the JPCs I have attended. I have noticed that at every single city and county JPC meeting there is a discussion about the increase in domestic violence. It is an issue we have not addressed nationally, but it is one we must examine and have more resources available for tackling it.
The other main issue raised with me, especially regarding Galway city, is the regulation of taxis, especially taxis that are parked in the wrong place at the wrong time. We have bona fide taxi drivers working in the city who have paid their dues and work full-time. They park in the ranks, but rogue taxi drivers will park or pull up anywhere. They pick up people leaving bars and nightclubs, which is taking the trade from those who work by the rules. They do not have an issue with the number of taxi drivers but they have an issue with the way the regulation is being enforced, which should be examined.
I commend the motion. The amendment we put forward is in the spirit of the motion and I hope the Government will be able to accept it.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to the House and compliment her on the progress she is making since taking office in reforming our justice system. I compliment Senator Martin Conway on bringing forward this motion, given the new scenario that arises as a result of the restructuring of local government. As we know, the number of JPCs will reduce from 114 to 31. The JPCs have been an effective forum for consultation and discussions on matters of crime and policing within each local authority area. They provide an opportunity for local communities to participate meaningfully with the Garda and elected representatives on issues of concern.

I will give some examples of the effectiveness of the JPC in my town of Ballinasloe, where the town council JPC worked quite effectively. An issue that was raised at a considerable number of meetings was anti-social behaviour arising from the consumption of alcohol in public places. A subgroup of the JPC was established to tackle ongoing issue of street drinkers and people sleeping rough in Ballinasloe and it recommended that a drop-in centre be set up to provide a point of contact for those people. Ballinasloe Town Council provided a premises and the service is now provided and staffed by Galway Simon Community. The Bridge Resource Centre was officially opened in 2012. It opens every day for four or five hours and provides toilet and shower facilities and a comfortable and safe environment for the users in which they can receive help, particularly those experiencing addiction problems and homelessness. That is a practical example of a joint policing committee, the community, the Garda and the elected representatives coming up with practical solutions.

When anti-social behaviour issues arose in a housing estate, the JPC took a proactive role with the residents associations, the Garda and council staff in having a number of meetings that addressed particular issues. As a result, significant progress was made to the point where residents had pride in their area, entered tidy towns competitions and got involved in a significant number of community activities.

I was surprised to see the Fianna Fáil motion on the day after the significant investment in policing and Garda resources announced in the budget. I very much welcome that this is the first year since 2008 that there has been a significant investment in Garda resources. There is an increase of €141 million in the overall budget, which includes an increase of 68% in capital funding. I welcome also the recruitment of 200 gardaí in the near future, and that 400 new vehicles will be purchased as a result of a €10 million investment.

This is a comprehensive package of budget increases aimed at funding reforms across the policing and justice sector. I would like to make the Minister aware that, as a result of the restructuring that took place within the Garda some time ago, we have seen a significant decrease in criminal activity in places like the town of Ballinasloe. In particular, there has been a 28% decrease in general crimes and burglaries have decreased by 9%. It is not critical that we have a large number of Garda stations but it is critical that we have resources on the ground and that gardaí are out in the community. They must be provided with the resources to do their job in an effective manner. The fact that there are much better technology and communication systems in place now and that in many towns there are effective closed circuit television systems in operation should help significantly with policing activities.

I welcome the fact that the joint policing committees are to be reformed. I have some concerns that areas that had a real concentration of such a joint policing committee such as my own town of Ballinasloe might not get the same attention when they are involved in a wider country joint policing committee. We will keep a close eye on that and I will look to serving on that joint policing committee in the coming years. I wish the Minister continued success as she sets about her task of ensuring that our country is a safer place for people to live in and to grow old.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I am willing to allow a Government member to speak before me as I have only arrived in the Chamber.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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We have all spoken.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Have all of those on the Government side spoken? Does Senator Burke wish to speak before me?

Terry Brennan (Fine Gael)
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Senator Burke has not spoken.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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If Senator Colm Burke wishes to speak now, I would be delighted.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I apologise for the confusion. I had intended to second the motion but I was not aware that the time of the debate was changed from a start time of 5 p.m. to 3.50 p.m. That was my mistake.

I welcome the Minister. I thank Senator Conway for bringing forward this motion, which I welcome. The prevention of crime is not the sole responsibility of the Garda. We all have a part to play. The joint policing committees have an important role to play. Since they were first established on a trial basis and a formal structure was put in place in 2008, they have made a significant difference. It is a very welcome change. It is not that long ago since I attended a meeting of residents in a Garda station when a Garda superintendent would not continue the meeting unless I left. We have come a long way from that. That was in regard to the area around University College Cork that I represented on Cork City Council at that time where there were quite a number of difficulties. On the one hand, there was a elderly population and, on the other, a large number of students descended on the area in late September and early October. We were trying to get gardaí, the college, students and residents to work together. It was interesting that the gardaí involved in the area did not feel that public representatives had a role in that process. The joint policing committees have brought about a change where everyone is involved and that is extremely important.

The Government gave an undertaking to review the process and that review was carried out. The process is now being changed and hopefully it will provide a better structure and we will learn from the experience of the past. It is important there is more direct involvement of community groups, the Community Alert scheme, the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, the community safety fora, the victim groups and youth organisations. The involvement of all of those groups is extremely important. The Community Alert scheme is effectively used with the involvement of community organisations in rural areas but it could be used far more effectively in urban areas as well.

I point to an area of concern, where the Community Alert scheme could be effectively used. There was a situation in my area, which is an urban one, and I am not sure if gardaí have looked into this, of people tuning into the radios used by taxi companies. I know of an incident of a person who ordered a taxi and within 20 minutes of leaving their house, they found someone was casing their property. That individual had listened into the radio of the taxi company and knew the taxi's pick-up address, where the person was going and that the house would be vacant. The Garda needs to examine the use of that type of system of notification of taxi call-outs and the monitoring of that system by individuals. As a result of the area being cased, I contacted the Garda and we found that the people who were casing that particular house has cased a number of other houses in the immediate area during the previous two or three weeks. As a result of sending out an alert in the local area, we identified the most recent house those people had moved on to case. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a Community Alert scheme in urban areas. We need to make sure, especially in areas where there are many retired people, that there is a proper structure in place to provide the necessary protection for them. House alarms provide one source of protection but we need to get the community to work together as well.

We still have a good deal of work to do because people can now communicate extremely quickly. It is important that communication systems are used for the protection of people. Feedback to the Garda at the fastest possible rate is important. People need to have the necessary contacts to enable them to use them both at a local level and back to the Garda station as the earliest possible time. A good deal of work has been done on this issue and these committees have worked very effectively since 2008. The reform of the structure is extremely welcome. It is a question of making sure that there is full implementation and full involvement of people across the community from public representatives to sports organisations to youth organisations to community groups. Everyone has a part to play. I look forward to working within the new structure with the changes that have been made and to continue to improve the back-up supports that the Garda require.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Colm Burke for speaking before me as I had just arrived in the Chamber. Like him, I did not realise that this debate was taking place as early as it was.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Welcome back.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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From Brussels? I was not in Brussels.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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Someone said that the Senator was in Brussels.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I support our amendment to this motion, which is important. It is a pity the Government motion does not recognise the problems in the Garda force and in the justice system at present. There is a great a lack of morale and great difficulties. Crime rates are increasing. Members of the public do not have any confidence in the crime rates because some people are afraid to report crimes and there are other allegations that crimes are not reported in the way that they should be.

On the joint policing committees, which are the subject of the motion, it is good that we are having a discussion on them. I have not found them to be very effective bodies. Part of the reason is that up to the time of the local elections we had a joint policing committee for the towns in County Meath, including Trim, Navan and Kells. The one in Kells worked relatively well because it had a defined small geographical area but the County Meath joint policing committee was a difficult one because the county and Garda division of Meath are very large. It was difficult for people to find issues on which they could have commonality to discuss at the meeting. I do not know what the plans are for the future joint policing committees but I would very much suggest that the county ones be removed and that they would be put down to municipal district level and perhaps over time Garda districts and municipal districts could coincide, which they more or less do in County Meath at present. There is huge in that regard. They would work much better at municipal district level than at county level. I am not sure what the involvement of the local authority staff is or should be.

It is a waste of resources to have local authority staff on these committees. These committees should be a forum between the gardaí and the local representatives. I am not sure what the local authority adds to it. It involves resources that the local authorities do not have to deploy to meetings. I get the impression that the staff who are doing it are so busy with other matters that they do not have, or should not be given, the time to deal with this issue. This would be far more effective if the gardaí, the local representatives and the Oireachtas Members met without reference to the local authority. The local authority has enough to do.

One should do it at municipal district level, perhaps with the local district superintendent. Provided the media took an interest because one can raise issues, these could be effective fora for discussion. We are losing the town committees and we need a replacement for them, and the municipal district provides such a forum. I have called for that for quite some considerable time.

When joint policing committees first started in 2008, I was excited at the prospect of them coming into being but I have not seen them work as effectively as they should. I am a supporter of the concept but it needs to be much more localised.

They have not started back up in County Meath. I do not know whether the same is the case around the country. Have they started in other counties?

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I suppose they are waiting for re-calibration after the local elections.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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That is the point.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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It has gone on a little too long.

Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Every other body is up and running. The VECs and health forums have numerous meetings and these committees, in my view, because the local authorities have too much to do, are on the back burner. As far as I know, they have not yet started back in County Meath. One should take them out of the local authority administrative structure. It would be far better for the public and a better use of time to have only the representatives and the gardaí, and have them at that more localised level with the local superintendent and the local gardaí rather than with the chief superintendent of a county or division which, in some cases, is made up of two counties.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister. It is good to see her and I thank her for coming in to take what is obviously a Government motion on joint policing committees.

As we all will agree from our experience in each of our areas, I certainly agree with the establishment of the JPCs and the reason that they were established. While some of the changes being proposed are welcome, the joint policing committees can be more efficient. We also must see how they fit in. For example, I am on the Fingal committee. I am aware from representatives in the north inner city where the joint policing committee works well. In other areas, it does not work as well. We need to focus on it to ensure that there is community buy-in.

We used the opportunity of this Government motion to highlight some of the issues that arise, specifically in Dublin. Being Dublin spokesperson and being from Dublin, I do not mind being selfish about that aspect of it. I have had a lot of interaction in my area, which is the R district. Not to go completely off the point, I would like to get some idea. While there has been acknowledgement of the welcome recruitment of additional gardaí, the force numbers are coming down, from a peak of 14,500 to 12,800 or 12,900. I am sure Deputy Fitzgerald, as Minister, receives regular comments and complaints on the resourcing of the men and women in the Garda who find it increasingly difficult to do their job. One area at which the Acting Commissioner should look - I accept that this would be an operational matter - is that there are far too many instances, for example, in an area like Swords, which is the capital town of Fingal, where there would be one Garda car servicing an area of over 120,000 people, where there would be situations in which there is one garda in a unit, where cars cannot be deployed and where response times are slow because of the lack of gardaí and the lack of physical resources.

Has the Minister asked her Department to provide an update on the urban and rural stations that were closed, how gardaí are managing those closures and how that impacts on the ground? There were many other stations, such as in Malahide and Howth, that were downgraded to part-time stations which close at 9 p.m. I would hope, as the economy improves, that the Government would prioritise the justice area, certainly, the policing area. However, what we find on the ground, regardless of what figures are produced, is that burglaries and petty crime are up, and people in areas that have had their stations either downgraded or closed know that such is the case.

If one telephones Malahide Garda station after 9 p.m., the call is transferred to Coolock where gardaí who have to reroute it back to Malahide gardaí to respond, do not have the local knowledge. That is not the way we should be going about this. I would be particularly interested to find out what the Minister's plans are in that regard. Is she open to reviewing the closures with a view to reopening some of those stations? Is she open to putting back on a full-time footing those stations that have been downgraded to part time? What is really important, in the case of the stations that close at 9 p.m., is that the Government gives a firm commitment, which I asked of the Minister's predecessor, that these stations would not be closed and this is not the beginning of a process of closure of those stations. I asked the previous Minister, Deputy Shatter, about this on a number of occasions when he came to the Seanad and I was never able to elicit a direct response in that regard. It would be important at least that the Government gives a firm commitment that the stations that are downgraded to part-time stations are not on the road to full closure.

When one looks at instances in the Probation Service in matters such as outstanding bench warrants - there are over 10,000 out on probation - these are areas on which the Government must concentrate. People need confidence in their police force, but the police force needs to have confidence in the Government in so far as gardaí will be given the tools to do their job. As the Minister and every Member of this House will be aware, the issue of morale in the Garda is a serious one. Morale is still very low in the Garda. Over successive Governments, gardaí have suffered quite excessive cuts to their pay and overtime, and then there is the resourcing issue. As I mentioned earlier, some stations cannot send a car to respond because there are not enough gardaí in the station and there are not enough gardaí in the unit. I am particularly interested to hear the Minister's views on those matters.

I welcome some of the changes being proposed with regard to the joint policing committees but these committees will not solve our policing issue. If we put more effort and emphasis into fully resourcing gardaí and giving them the tools to do their job, we would be in a much better position.

Michael D'Arcy (Fine Gael)
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I speak in favour of the motion. It is a good motion.

I speak as somebody who was a member of the joint policing committee for Gorey when Gorey was a policing district and I want to raise the matter of the mergers that happened on the previous Minister's watch. The attempt to reduce and downsize, of which I have practical experience in my area, is counterproductive on the basis that when merging areas we opted for what was easiest and handiest, but it also turned out to be biggest. The policing district of Enniscorthy, which is a policing district of Gorey and Enniscorthy, has a population of 85,000 people. It is almost as big as County Kilkenny and bigger than many counties throughout the State. It is not working. I am glad to put on the record that it is too big, with a number of major towns and one superintendent. When one makes comparisons with other Garda districts, it seems to be okay for whatever reason that there are Garda districts with 25% of the population of this particular district. I have always questioned the logic of this merger between Gorey Garda district and Enniscorthy Garda district.

I also want to put on the record that the spike in crime in this area is no accident.

I am not being critical of any individual member of the force. However, it is no accident that we do not have a superintendent - a senior member of the police force - sitting in a district that used to be in place. On the other side of the border between counties Wicklow and Wexford, the Arklow Garda district was merged with the Wicklow Garda district. Now we have two Garda districts with a population of approximately 140,000. That is about the size of County Limerick. It is not good enough. I fought this fight as hard as I could. I wrote to the previous Commissioner to look for meetings. To my disappointment, I got no hearing and the senior gardaí who made the decision and chose to ignore any common sense approach towards this ill-judged decision.

The Minister is in this role a few months. She has a capacity to take on board what is being said in a fair and open-minded manner. I hope she considers this matter. It is important. This area is too big. I believe it is the biggest physical Garda district in the State. I am also told that it has the largest population of a rural Garda district in the State. The only other areas that are similar in size are in the Dublin metropolitan area. It is a mistake and it needs to be reviewed. I am not somebody who wants to tear the house down on any particular issue. This was a huge mistake from the outset. While the Garda districts are now merged and it is probably difficult to disentangle that merger, thankfully some semblance of common sense prevailed with the civilian staff. They remained in the Gorey Garda station. The inspector was also retained. The personnel lost was the superintendent. The solution - it is an easy solution if the willingness is there - is to reinstate a superintendent in Gorey Garda station and to have another in the Enniscorthy Garda station. There are examples of multiple superintendents in Garda districts although they may be in different areas or sectors, whether it is traffic or another. The example is there. I ask the Minister to consider it.

Paul Bradford (Independent)
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I am glad for the opportunity to say a few words on the motion and amendments before us. They all head in the same direction and I think the House is generally at one on its views on the joint policing committees, JPCs. Having listened to the contribution of Senator D'Arcy with interest, I am aware that we will be allowed meander slightly beyond the particular subject before us. One item concerning policing in its broadest sense, on which I would like to have a fuller debate at some stage in the future, is the question of the Garda Reserve. The Garda Reserve seemed to be an excellent idea. It still is an excellent idea but we need clarification on where it is going, what are the Department's plans for it and how it is integrating into the broader policing of our towns and villages.

Whether it is hearsay, speculation, fact or fiction, there appears to be an indication of a difficulty at times and in places between the regular force and members of the Garda Reserve. Some would seem to indicate there is a degree of resentment towards the concept of the Garda Reserve. All of us know many upstanding citizens in our local communities who would be interested in playing a role on behalf of society in the reserve. We may have to re-advertise and republicise the reserve if it is the view that it is a good thing. What is the Government's thinking on it? In all of our towns and villages it could be of significant assistance to security and co-operation between the citizen and the State and its the security forces. The forces of law and order could be aided by way of the Garda Reserve. When one thinks of traffic difficulties or very minor social behaviour problems such as vandalism in estates, the resource of the reserve - local community known to the community - could be quite effective.

One of the motions speaks to Garda numbers and that game of tennis can be played forever. Big Garda numbers means better law and order; smaller Garda numbers means worse. It is not as simple as that. It is about the quality of our policing and the way it integrates with the community. Focusing on community would bring us back to the concept of utilising the Garda Reserve to greater effect.

I apologise to the MInister - I must attend another committee hearing - for not being in a position to hear her response but I would be grateful if she would, at her convenience, let me know her thinking on the Garda Reserve. Perhaps my concerns are unnecessary. However, I hear rumours from time to time about the difficulty and perhaps a lack of complete co-operation between the reserve and the official force. It is something we should work on and resolve. We would all benefit from progress in that regard.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I am happy with the motion and the amendments. I hope the House will not be having a silly divide on this issue.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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It is not silly.

Paul Bradford (Independent)
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We are all supportive of whatever the Minister intends to do in regard to securing the resources for the Garda, the joint police committees and law and order on this island.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senators for their contributions to the debate today and Senator Martin Conway and the Fine Gael group for tabling this motion. I will also refer to some of the points made in the amendments. I will revert to Senator Bradford in regard to the Garda Reserve individually and to members who have raised individual points to which I am not in a position to respond at this point in time.

Like many Senators here I have been a member of a JPC. It seems from what the Senators are saying that there is very varied experience in regard to them. Senators will be interested to hear the outcome of the review we did. A point made in the review is that we do not have national consistency in the approach. While we always want to allow for some local variation, that is one of the points that emerged. It does give us an opportunity to discuss these important local structures. I believe they are important as do most of the Senators who have spoken. I am glad to support the motion as it has been laid out.

It might be helpful if I went through what has been happening recently in regard to JPCs and the recommendations from the review. As stated by Senator Conway, the JPCs arise from the Garda Síochána Act 2005. One of the points in the motion is that it lays a lot of emphasis on collaboration and co-operation. That is very much what we are trying to promote as standard practice in the JPCs. That is necessary if they are to be successful. We carried out a review in 2012 and published new guidelines in August of this year on how the JPCs should operate. I hope that as they get up and running now, following the local elections, these guidelines will be helpful. This came from a programme for Government commitment which we had made that we would review community partnerships and collaborative engagement between JPCs and the community. We do have to use these local structures to best effect.

In terms of the review, it was conducted with the Department of the Environment, community and Local Government. There was a questionnaire, a call for consultation and 60 submissions received. Significant work has been done in ascertaining the experience of people who were on JPCs and what the local communities believe about them. We did find - as found in the House today - that there was considerable support for JPCs but it is also fair to say the review indicated they were operating unevenly and were more effective in some areas.

We want to address that in a pragmatic way. We do not want to inhibit local initiative. That is an important consideration. One of the strongest themes was the need to emphasise a considered and collaborative approach. The cross-cutting nature of JPCs was recognised - the motion recognises it also - and how they can benefit the sort of collaboration in the interests of what we all want to see, which is the safety and security of the local community.

There is a need for JPCs to set out strategic plans. They must also be linked to the objectives of the Garda annual policing plan. That is a good idea, relevant for the area but also relevant to local authority plans. At present, local authorities and the newly-established local and community development committees are in the process of developing six-year local economic and community plans. The JPCs are also going to be required to have those six-year strategic plans, which I think is a good idea, but they do need to be looked at by way of an annual report. Senator Ó Clochartaigh has suggested some amendments, but I think the new guidelines actually meet quite a lot of the recommendations that were made in the amendment to the motion. The guidelines require a strategic plan and collaboration. There will be an annual report, and people can be invited into the JPCs either as observers or as guests. The Senator asked why public representatives cannot be represented on both JPCs in his area. I think this would be impractical in terms of numbers. In my own area, people took turns to be on the joint policing committees in order not to have huge numbers attending at any one time. There is nothing to stop any Oireachtas Member from attending, and I think that most JPCs do allow contributions, as the Senator has stated.

The guidelines now stipulate that the annual report must outline what actions the JPCs have taken in a given year to meet what they have laid out in the strategic plan. This is about monitoring and evaluation and making sure that they are more effective. It is good to lay out a six-year action plan, but it is also necessary to report annually on what has actually been achieved in terms of the priorities that were set out.

The JPCs are a mechanism to allow people to have more engagement with the Garda Síochána. In the guidelines we have allowed for an increased number of community representatives. We have also emphasised the importance of diversity so that the different community groups, business representatives, immigrant communities and Travellers are represented at the JPCs. It is important that they respect diversity and make sure that there is the kind of representation that will reach out to groups that are sometimes quite marginalised and whose members may feel quite separate and less included in local policing plans. I would have to say, however, that gardaí are doing a lot of work on integration and involving migrant communities in their work. They have set up a specific office to do that.

In looking at the guidelines, I felt it was important that there be a fair degree of flexibility suited to local circumstances. We have emphasised in the guidelines that we do not want to over formalise these committees, but we do want to ensure that there is a certain standard that is met throughout the country in terms of how the JPCs go about their business.

We have focused on the importance of community policing, and there are lots of different ways in which that can be done. We have a very good tradition of community policing in this country but it can be enhanced. The small areas policing pilot project was discussed in the Seanad. That is important, as we are seeing in the Dublin metropolitan region and the north inner city in particular. The first part of the Fianna Fáil amendment calls for a dedicated public order unit in Dublin city centre. I have had discussions with the Garda Commissioner already about policing in the city centre. The small areas policing pilot project, which has been developed in the north inner city, is giving a particular focus to that kind of community activity. This is needed so that all of the different players meet together. There is, of course, also the forum, where representatives of the police, the business community and Dublin City Council are meeting to work out the best possible approaches to tackling some of the issues which we see in inner cities. We are evaluating the outcome of that pilot project.

The Garda has a very proactive approach to developing partnerships with local communities. This has been very successful in the United States and in the UK and I would like see this being developed further in this country. We do of course have the community alert scheme, which is the partnership between the Garda Síochána, Muintir na Tíre and local communities. It is remarkable to consider that there are 1,300 local groups throughout the country, and we have 2,500 neighbourhood watch programmes. Since the Garda set up the new text alert scheme, 450 text alert groups have been set up around the country involving 80,000 people. I would like to take up the point that Senator Bradford made in relation to this, namely, that having safe communities is about a lot of different elements working together. It is about the Garda, but it is also about how the community responds. Communities are working to develop greater safety, alerting gardaí to what is happening and working with residents' associations and neighbourhood watch groups. Every Senator here knows how important the local neighbourhood watch programmes are. I see great potential for this text alert scheme to develop further.

One of the things I would like to see as a result of yesterday's budget is gardaí having access to better technology. They should have the resources and the proper fleet to be available in communities. They should also have the most advanced mobile phone technology in order to have very quick contact back and forth to base and with their colleagues.

I believe that some of the announcements that we made yesterday addressed the issues in the Fianna Fáil amendment in particular. It is very important that we have seen an increase for the Department of Justice and Equality in the budget for the first time year on year since 2008. That is the reality of the situation that gardaí were facing. Despite the needs that had been outlined, we have seen that the Department's budget was not increased between 2008 and 2011. We are seeing it being increased right now by €141 million. We are seeing a 68% increase in capital funding, 300 recruits going into Templemore with another 100 on 1 December and another 100 on 1 January. We are seeing a commitment to monitor the precise force that will be needed throughout the year as we see what the scale of retirements is. We are freeing up 75 gardaí for front-line duties as a result of the civilianisation initiative in Dublin Airport and a further 75 as a result of the changes to Border management and visa issues throughout the country. We are effectively ensuring that over the coming year we will have 450 front-line gardaí made available through new recruits and through the civilianisation programme which we are undertaking. That is very significant by any judgment, particularly in terms of the recent history in relation to the budget in this area.

However, I am in no way complacent. We owe it to our citizens to ensure their absolute safety and that is why I am pleased we are able to provide 400 new cars as well. As a Government over the last years, in contrast to previous years, we have ensured that there is a very significant budget for the replacement of Garda vehicles. A number of Senators have asked about this. It is the ongoing replacement of an older fleet. We would like to get to a point where a reasonable percentage of the fleet would be replaced every year and that the budget would be there and available for that. As I have said, we made a very good start yesterday with the €11 million that was announced. That will obviously need to be ongoing.

To address some of the issues in the amendment, the Department did not suffer from a reduction in resources. The only change was the one I outlined to Senator Ó Clochartaigh earlier, which is that the Vote for the new equality commission became an independent Vote of €6 million. Other than that, we saw the budget either increasing or being maintained in all of the Department's other areas.

We saw an increase of €44 million for the Garda pay budget, which will ensure we have resources for the numbers referenced, namely, 13,000 gardaí and 1,980 civilians, in the budget allocation for the Department of Justice and Equality in the context of the expenditure report. Clearly, it is important that we also examine reform. The reform initiatives, which include the establishment of the new police authority and the recruitment, through open competition, of the new Garda Commissioner, are very important. The Garda is constantly examining how it needs to reform its operations, whether that be, as pointed out by some Senators, related to the precise numbers that should be allocated to particular geographical areas, which needs continual monitoring in terms of population change, the demands in an area, whether it be urban or rural, and the varying policing demands made in the area.

The density of Garda stations in this country is still higher than in other countries, but I have no intention to close any further Garda stations. It is important we continually evaluate how the service is being provided and that we demand the highest standards. The Garda Inspectorate reports on a range of issues in an ongoing way. We saw the report recently from it on the penalty points situation. The work of the Garda Inspectorate is very important in ensuring we have the right standards available and that they are continually monitored in terms of delivering an effective policing service.

I thank Senators for their contributions. I note of the varying points they have made and I will respond individually to some Senators.

Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. As has been rightly said, the joint policing committees perform very important functions. I am mindful of every small town in the United States which has its town hall and local governance, but in Ireland it could be said that have one of the most centralised states in the western world. I am not sure if this is a symptom of the distrust official Ireland sometimes has for its people or whether it is simply a lack of imagination regarding what could be achieved with real reform of local government. We had the local government reform legislation recently. The effect on joint policing in recent times has been the reduction in the number of these important committees. The Minister introduced the revised joint policing committee guidelines in August, and under those guidelines we will have committees operating at city and county level following the abolition of town councils. There will be just over 30 joint policing committees, which will be approximately a quarter of the number we have had. That reduction will sever an important connection that has existed between local communities and those who keep them secure.
In its submission on the new guidelines, the Association of Criminal Justice Research and Development raised some interesting points regarding international best practice. It pointed out that in the UK, under section 97 of the Police Reform Act 2002, the British equivalent of joint policing committees includes a wider range of actors, including police authorities, fire and rescue services and primary care trusts. The UK uses the model of community and police consultative groups. The historical context for those groups was the Brixton riots of 1981. Since 2005, membership has been extended to include the local fire brigade chief, local courts and local prosecutors. In some areas they have been renamed as public safety boards to move the group away from the original focus on policing to a wider context of safety within communities. Would that be a welcome development that could be instructive and useful for the Irish model? I urge the Minister to consider widening the remit of the joint policing committee model to embrace this wider public safety role. The way forward is not to reduce the number of policing committees because that severs important links of trust between those tasked with public safety and the communities they guard. For the sake of local democracy and participation by people in important local issues, we should not be moving in that direction.
I want to raise and flag with the Minister and issue which I might table as a matter on the Adjournment at some stage. We recently heard in the Oireachtas from the Irish Tourist Assistance Service, which is doing great work, and many volunteers have contributed to assisting tourists. Approximately 13,000 tourists have been victims of crime in this country during the past 20 years. The ITAS does great work helping people out formally and informally in providing them with basic needs in emergency situations. Tourists are often particularly vulnerable in that they may not speak the language and may be isolated or on their own. One of the issues that came up in our discussion with the ITAS was the 2012 EU directive which establishes minimum standards on the rights and protection of victims of crime. We are required to implement that directive by November 2015. It is legally binding. It will ensure victims of crime will have the same rights to support and protection regardless of where in the EU the crime is committed. I understand that one of the rights in question is the right of the victim to receive information throughout the criminal justice process. The onus will be on the State to ensure the victim is kept informed about developments in their case. Many victims, especially tourists although not only them, find it difficult to receive information about their case. When a tourist returns to their home country, contacting the Garda station for information can be very costly and time consuming only to discover that the garda is not on duty. There is currently no way to contact the garda or Garda station via e-mail.
Britain has introduced the Track My Crime service, which allows victims of crime to access the progress of the investigation of their crime as well as contact the officer leading the investigation. Would such a service be useful for all victims of crime in this country, particularly in cross-Border cases? This service has been adopted by the UK police districts of Kent, Somerset, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. It is a service accessed by the public by logging into a website available at trackmycrime.police.uk. Victims of crime are given a reference number which can be used to log in to a secure website to get information on the status of the criminal investigation concerning them. I know there is information that could not be given to victims in such cases, but what about the information that can be given? Victims of crime often feel left out in the cold when it comes to the police investigation of their cases. They have legitimate questions such as whether someone has been arrested for vandalising their car, or whether the Garda has arrested the people breaking into houses in their area. Victims can become frustrated when they find it difficult to contact an investigating garda who may be off duty or on patrol, but a dedicated website could act as a one-stop-shop information source, which could be a great tool for victims and is something that could be easily updated by the investigating garda. There is widespread public support in the UK for information being made available on the investigation of crimes. An online service could satisfy the needs of victims of crime, be they whether a suspect has been detained, charges have been filed or a court date has been set. We have introduced innovative schemes in the criminal justice area, not least the Criminal Assets Bureau, It would be beneficial were we to think outside the box again. Would this not also be required on foot of the directive? I know the Minister does not have an opportunity to respond again but it is something I would like to take up with her at a later point.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I was at the meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality when the group dealing with tourists who have become victims made a presentation, and I was very struck by it. I would point out to the previous Senator that there is a good deal happening in terms of the European victims directive. I am advised by the Minister that legislation on this area will be introduced in the new year. The TrackMyCrime service is a fantastic way of giving those who have been the victims of crime some feedback. People want to have communication in that they want to know what is happening.

As a result of yesterday's budget, I hope we will see some investment in ICT in terms of the Garda and within Garda stations. In this day and age it is ridiculous that one cannot e-mail a Garda station. As the Minister is cognisant of those issues I think there will be significant improvements in feedback and implementation of the European victims directive and we will see legislation in the new year.

In regard to the motion, I thought it was a very useful debate. We have got great testimonials from many Members serving on JPCs. Practically every Member in this House has served on a JPC. While there is much wrong with them, a significant amount is right. We now have a formalised structure for engagement where local public representatives with Oireachtas Members and community activists can engage. It would be worthwhile for every Member to read the new JPC guidelines, as much of what has been discussed here today is contained in the new guidelines issued by the Department. I acknowledge that there appears to be a delay in setting up JPCs following on from the local elections. However, that is not unusual for JPCs. Many of the new structures introduced as a result of the recent local government changes and which manifested themselves in the election in the aftermath are taking time to put in place. In terms of the regional authorities, the new structures will not be fully in place until the new year. When the structure is in place I hope the JPCs will operate more effectively than in the past.

Senators Thomas Byrne and Michael D'Arcy were concerned that the JPCs were too large. It is provided for in the guidelines that subcommittees can be set up on a municipal district level or a dual municipal district level if that is deemed necessary by the members of the overarching committee. There are means within the guidelines for dealing with a county with a significantly wide geographic area, a mixture of urban and rural. The debate on Garda numbers and Garda cars is one for a different forum. What we have had here was a discussion on the future of JPCs and how they can be more efficient, effective and more representative. Garda resources and all those issues can be ways in other ways. It is important to remain focused. JPCs have worked well and can work much better and, as such, I hope that whatever votes we may have, hopefully none, will be focused on the workings of JPCs.

I thank the significant number of Senators who contributed to the debate. It was a useful debate and is a issue we should come back to in terms of the operation of the new JPCs. We should always be prepared to review and improve.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I move amendment No. 2:

“To add the following paragraphs after ‘who are not Joint Policing Committee members’:- recommends that all Joint Policing Committees regularly convene public meetings as a matter of priority, supported by an outreach programme to increase and diversify participation where senior Gardaí and appropriate senior local authority staff are in attendance, as well as representatives of statutory agencies responsible for issues likely to be raised; and that there should be a minimum of four meetings per annum with the dates set at the start of the calendar year;
- recommends that the Garda representative should present a report at each meeting in a written format including statistical data, which can be compared and contrasted from meeting to meeting;
- recommends that at a designated month each year the Joint Policing Committees should invite submissions from the public on the topic of the following year’s annual policing plan; that at the same time as public submissions are sought, the local Divisional and District Officers should provide the Joint Policing Committee with a report on the operation of the local policing plan to date; and that shortly following the receipt of annual public and Garda submissions each Joint Policing Committee should have a single item agenda meeting the purpose of which is to agree and sign-off on recommendations for the next year’s local annual policing plan which should include recommendations for local rostering arrangements; and
- proposes that councils should establish a Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Division drawing staff from housing, community, environment and planning departments, which can act as a secretariat for the Joint Policing Committee.”

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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I second the amendment.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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When is it proposed to sit again?

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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Ar 10.30 maidin amárach.