Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022
90. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Justice if she will report on the work taking place to make the streets safer for everyone, particularly women, from lighting to increased Garda presence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8532/22]
View answerEvery community has a right to be safe and to feel safe.
Fear should not be normalised and across Government we are working on a number of initiatives to make the streets safer for everyone, particularly women and vulnerable people.
I am leading the development across Government of the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, with valued input from victims and survivors as well as those working in the frontline.
The Strategy will be underpinned by clear actions, timelines, effective governance and accountability mechanisms.
It will be resourced as it should be, and its goal is clear: zero tolerance for domestic, sexual and gender based violence.
Following the publication of the Report of the Night-time Economy Taskforce, my Department brought together a subgroup to examine appropriate actions for inclusion in the Third National Strategy and relevant actions have been identified.
Gardaí and the criminal justice system have an important role to play and Budget 2022 reflects Government's commitment to ensuring our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the resources to be an effective and trusted policing service.
An increase in the number of Garda members, staff and investment in IT will deliver significant growth in operational policing hours nationwide and improve services.
I have also established an Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) to examine a range of issues and develop measures to counteract the negative impact Anti-Social Behaviour has on communities.
Gardaí run a number of proactive policing initiatives aimed at reducing assaults and improving feelings of community safety, including Operation Soteria and Operation Citizen.
The Commission on the Future of Policing highlighted that policing and crime prevention are shared responsibilities across Government agencies and the local authorities. Last year we established Community Safety Partnership pilots in advance of a national roll-out once the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill is enacted. These Partnerships and the existing Joint Policing Committees (JPCs) provide a forum to raise specific concerns of communities.
We are also establishing a Community Safety Innovation Fund for projects that can improve community safety.
Effective lighting and building in safety in design when local authorities and other public bodies are undertaking public realm projects are also important elements in creating public spaces that are safer.
Education and awareness raising is also an important part of our fight against sexual and gender-based violence. This too will be reflected in the Third National Strategy.
Government is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that everyone, particularly women and vulnerable people, feel safe and are safe in our communities.
