Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

294. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she has provided updated guidelines to local authorities if they should re-establish joint policing committees; and if she will outline the transitionary arrangements for the implementation for local community safety partnerships. [27014/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Our approach to community safety is a whole-of-Government one. We want to bring the relevant social service providers and the Gardaí together with the community in a collaborative manner, by focusing on the concerns identified by the local community itself.

The Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) are provided for in Part 3 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which was signed into law by the President in February 2024. It is my intention that the LCSPs will begin rollout across Ireland in the coming period.

In preparation for the national rollout of LCSPs, an Expression of Interest process is being undertaken by each Local Authority to identify a suitable Chairperson for each Local Community Safety Partnership over the course of the summer. I am hopeful that many communities will start to see Local Community Safety Partnerships established over the coming months.

The Partnerships will operate at local authority level and they will build upon the work of Joint Policing Committees (JPCs). The work to recruit the full time staff of the partnerships and to identify the members in each local community is underway in my Department and engagement with the local authorities and key service providers has commenced.

I will also be establishing a National Office for Community Safety, which will have responsibility for delivering the objectives of the national strategy. The National Office will provide training, guidance and other support to the Local Community Safety Partnerships.