Community Safety

Whole of Government Approach

This Part provides for a strategic framework at national and local level to underpin a whole of Government approach to achieve the objective of promoting safer communities. Community safety is a broad concept and for the purposes of the 2024 Act may be understood (as set out in the long title) as relating to improving the safety and perception of safety in communities through collaboration between relevant Departments of State and public service bodies at national and local level and to provide for community engagement in the prevention of crime and harm.

The framework provides for the development of a national strategy and oversight and implementation structures including a designated Cabinet Committee to provide high level political oversight, a steering group to provide senior leadership and direction, a national office to provide executive support and Local Community Safety Partnerships to develop and implement strategies tailored to identified local needs.

To support this a statutory obligation is placed on public service bodies to cooperate with each other and in doing so reciprocates, as recommended by CoFPI, the existing obligation on An Garda Síochána contained in section 7 of the Act of 2005 and restated in section 9 of the 2024 Act. Having regard to the role of the Policing and Community Safety Authority in providing oversight of An Garda Síochána’s performance in relation to policing, including its activities aimed at preventing crime and preventing harm to people at risk, the Part includes a number of linkages between that body and the elements of the new framework.

Duty of Public Service Bodies

The 2024 Act places a duty on public service bodies, when performing their functions, to take all reasonable steps to improve community safety, including through the prevention of crime and of harm to individuals, in particular those who are vulnerable or at risk. In addition, public service bodies are required to cooperate as appropriate in order to achieve this objective, including through sharing of information (including personal data) and documents in accordance with law. This obligation reciprocates the obligation on An Garda Síochána .

The 2024 Act defines  a “public service body” , listing  9 specific bodies with a further category of “a body that has been designated. The 2024 Act allows the Minister to designate by order a body as a “public service body” for the purposes of this Part. The criteria required for designation are set out including the consent of the responsible Minister.

Other relevant Ministers are Ministers of the Government who are to have a role across  Part 3 of the 2024 Act. In addition to the 7 ministerial offices listed a further category of “such other Ministers of the Government as may be prescribed by the Minister” is included;

National Strategy

The 2024 Act provides for the preparation of a national strategy for improving community safety. It is to be prepared by the Minister and the other relevant Ministers (as defined in section 103) and submitted to the Government for approval within a 12 month period.

Provision is made for consultation as part of the preparatory work including with the Policing and Community Safety Authority and the public. Standard laying and publication requirements apply to the approved strategy. The strategy is to be reviewed at least once every 6 years and may be revised by the Government in the intervening period.

National Community Safety Steering Group

The 2024 Act provides for the establishment of the National Community Safety Steering Group and sets out its functions and the composition of its membership. Those functions include promoting and monitoring compliance by public services bodies with their obligations under the 2024 Act, fostering collaboration between bodies, providing direction to the National Office and monitoring implementation of the national strategy.

Further provision may be made by regulations in relation to the membership and the conduct of its business. The Steering Group is required to report annually to the Minister and to provide the Minister with other reports as may be specified. The Steering Group is also required to report to the designated committee of the Government.

National Office for Community Safety

The 2024 Act provides for the establishment of the National Office for Community Safety. The functions of the National Office are set out and include supporting public services bodies in the implementation of the national strategy, providing support, training and guidance to safety partnerships and monitoring the implementation of the national strategy and local community safety plans, conducting or commissioning research or evaluations and promoting public awareness of issues affecting community safety.

The 2024 Act provides for the appointment of the Director of the National Office and his or her functions. Provision is made for a Director-designate prior to the establishment of the National Office. The Director will be responsible for implementing the policies and decisions of the Steering Group and for managing the staff, administration and business of the National Office.

The 2024 Act provides for the accountability of the Director to Oireachtas committees, other than the Committee of Public Accounts, and sets out the standard terms under which the Director is required to appear before such committees to account for the general administration of the National Office. It  provides for the appointment of staff to the National Office by the Director.

Local Community Safety Partnerships

TA local community safety partnership develops and adopts, on a three yearly basis, a plan to improve community safety in its functional area; The 2024 Act provides for the making of regulations by the Minister, following consultation with other relevant Ministers, relating to the establishment and operation of local community safety partnerships. The regulations may provide for such matters as the membership, the election of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons, the terms and conditions of office of the members, the conduct of the business of and the establishment of committees by safety partnerships.

In relation to the membership, provision may be made for the sectors to be represented and the proportion of such membership to be represented by each sector and diversity and gender balance requirements. It is envisaged that the membership will include members of the local authority, representatives of public service bodies, and representatives of local community and voluntary bodies involved in activities related to community safety.

Provision may also be made in the regulations, for the purposes of the performance by the Policing and Community Safety Authority of its functions, for the attendance of members of the Authority at meetings of safety partnerships and their committees and for the Authority to convene meetings of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of safety partnerships. As the safety partnerships are to replace the Joint Policing Committees provision is made for their dissolution by regulation.

Safety Partnerships and Community Fora

The 2024 Act provides for the making of regulations by the Minister, following consultation with other relevant Ministers, to provide for area- based neighbourhood community safety fora within the functional area of safety partnerships. The regulations may also make provision for existing local policing fora established under section 36 of the Act of 2005 to either continue as area-based neighbourhood community safety fora or to be dissolved and for any necessary transitional arrangements. As provided for under section 116, such area-based neighbourhood community safety fora will be coordinated and supported by safety partnerships.

The 2024 Act sets out the functions of safety partnerships including acting as a forum for discussing and responding to community safety concerns, developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing local 3 year community safety plans to improve community safety and coordinating and supporting area-based neighbourhood community safety fora.

Provision is made for safety partnerships to provide views on the preparation and implementation of local policing plans by An Garda Síochána in relation to the provision of policing services in the functional area of the safety partnership. Provision is also made for information and reports to be provided by safety partnerships to the National Office.

The 2024 Act requires the chief executive of a local authority to assign employees to assist the safety partnership within the area of the local authority in the performance of its functions. It further requires him or her to designate one of the assigned employees as the manager of the safety partnership.