Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
371. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the new community policing framework; if online public consultation will be carried out on the draft document which will include working with local authorities and local joint policing committees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9147/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that the Deputy is referring to the Community Policing Framework developed by An Garda Síochána which is currently being piloted in 4 Garda Divisions - DMR South Central, Cork, Galway and Mayo. I understand that this new Framework takes into account the recommendations of the Report on the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, and is focused on multi-agency cooperation and community partnerships in delivering a more localised and responsive policing service.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the control and direction of An Garda Síochána, and I as Minister have no direct role in these matters. I am informed by the Garda authorities that online public consultation is not envisaged as part of a planned review of the piloted Community Policing Framework. However, I understand that the initial review will encompass public consultation with local stakeholders in each of the pilot Divisions and that those findings will be reviewed prior to roll-out of the Framework nationwide.
Further and as the Deputy will be aware, implementation of this Community Policing Framework takes place in the wider context of implementation of A Policing Service for the Future , the four year implementation plan giving effect to the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. In its report published in September 2018, the Commission outlined a vision and roadmap for strengthening An Garda Síochána and the broader national framework for policing, security and community safety. The report followed extensive consultations with communities and a wide range of stakeholders over fifteen months.
It is important to note that the Community Policing Framework is being piloted in tandem with the roll-out of An Garda Síochána’s new Operational Model, which meets a key commitment in A Policing Service for the Future. The Garda Operating Model reorganises resources around the delivery of frontline policing, placing and increased emphasis on engaging with communities and supporting victims of crime. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that in each Division, there will be a dedicated Superintendent leading a community engagement team. I am confident that this reorganisation will further strengthen community policing and engagement, and provide a more localised, responsive policing service for each Division nationwide.
In a broader sense, the Deputy might also wish to note that implementation of A Policing Service for the Future will see the Garda Síochána Act 2005 repealed and replaced by a Policing and Community Safety Act. My Department is progressing work on the preparation of Policing and Community Safety Bill as a matter of priority.
In addition to setting out a new governance and oversight framework for policing, it will redefine the functions of An Garda Síochána to include prevention of harm to those who are vulnerable, place an obligation on relevant state agencies to cooperate with An Garda Síochána in relation to the broader issue of community safety and refine local structures supporting local accountability for policing. In that context, my Department is currently in the process of finalising the most appropriate model to achieve this. All existing structures and approaches to community safety have been considered as part of this work and in line with the goal of the Commission on the Future of Policing that community policing and community engagement should be at the heart of new structures and policing arrangements.
Work is well advanced on the preparation of the General Scheme of the Bill. Once it is finalised it will be brought to Government for approval and publication in the normal manner.
