Richard Bruton
Ceist:32. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Justice how it is intended to phase in the new community safety plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8347/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 22 February 2024
Ceisteanna (32)
Freagraí scríofa
At the outset I would like to assure the Deputy that community safety is a top priority for me as Minister and this Government as a whole. The Department's community safety policy is about people being safe and, importantly, feeling safe in their own community. This whole-of-government approach aims to bring together the relevant social services providers, including the Gardaí, to work together with the community and local business leaders in Local Community Safety Partnerships so that they can focus on the matters of concern identified by the local community in which they are operating.
Local Community Safety Partnerships are provided for in Part 3 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which was signed into law on 7 February 2024. The Act includes a number of provisions relating to the Community Safety Plans.
Each Local Community Safety Partnership will develop and implement a Community Safety Plan, on a 3 year basis, tailored to the community’s needs. Each Partnership will take a strategic approach to their work so that issues arising can be dealt with in a coordinated manner, addressed collectively by relevant service providers in partnership with the community.
Community Safety Plans will be developed with clear targets, which assign responsibility to the relevant service provider. There are significant benefits to the involvement of relevant agencies in developing a community safety plan in each local authority area. It will allow each partnership to deal with issues of community safety which are not strictly within the criminal justice system (e.g. drug misuse, youth services, public lighting, integration and diversity issues).
The Community Safety Plan will be a matter for each Partnership once established. In order to inform the development of its Plan, each Partnership will be required to undertake public consultation for the purpose of identifying local community safety objectives and priorities. The National Office for Community Safety will support the Partnerships in terms of training, guidance and assistance in formulating Local Community Safety Strategies and Action Plans.
The Community Safety Plans will be monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis. Under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, the National Office for Community Safety will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of local community safety plans. The Partnerships will undertake a review of the Plan at least once within its lifecycle, after which the Plan can be amended as appropriate.
The Deputy will be aware that pilot partnerships have been in operation for the last two years, in Longford, Waterford and Dublin North Inner City. All three pilots have now published their respective Community Safety Plans and implementation of specific actions is underway. An independent evaluation has been conducted since the pilot partnerships commenced, and the final report of the evaluation is almost complete. The findings of the evaluation will then be used to inform the national roll-out of Local Community Safety Partnerships and will inform guidance to be developed by the National Office in terms of best practice in the development and implementation of Community Safety Plans.
In 2024, I provided funding of €7.9 million for the creation of a new National Office for Community Safety and to roll out Local Community Safety Partnerships nationwide. This also includes €3.75 million for the Community Safety Innovation Fund, where the proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) are reinvested in projects to benefit local communities across Ireland.