Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
874. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Justice when the community safety partnership pilots will commence in Dublin north inner city local electoral area, Waterford City and County Council and Longford; and the reason for the delay in commencing these pilots. [36827/23]
View answerCommunity safety is not just about the number of Gardaí in communities. Community safety is a whole of Government responsibility and it requires a multi-agency approach.
The Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill will place statutory obligations on Departments and other public service bodies to cooperate with each other to improve community safety. It also establishes national structures to provide strategic direction and ensure that collaboration is working, and establishes Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) which will replace existing Joint Policing Committees.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the three pilot LCSPs in Dublin’s North Inner City, Waterford, and Longford, commenced in 2021. The partnerships are made up of:
• community representatives, including residents, youth representatives, members of new and minority communities, local activists, local businesses, and representatives of schools;
• public sector representatives, i.e. local statutory services such as the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána, and the local authority; and
• local councillors.
The pilot LCSPs are undergoing an independent evaluation to ensure that, when established nationally, the LCSPs will be designed and supported to help communities prioritise issues raised by its members as safety concerns.
A baseline and mid-term evaluation have been completed and data collection is currently underway for the final evaluation of the pilots which is due to be completed by the end of 2023, ahead of the nationwide LCSP rollout as part of the implementation of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill.
