New Community Safety Partnership established for #NorthInnerCity

In November, Helen McEntee T.D., Minister for Justice announced the establishment of the Community Safety Partnership pilot for the North Inner City.

I very much welcome this initiative from Minister McEntee as it will bring together residents, community representatives, business interests, Councillors, local authorities and State services such as An Garda Síochána, Tusla and the HSE to devise and implement the Local Community Safety Plans. This initiative will replace the existing Joint Policing Committee, which I chaired between 2014 and 2019. This all-encompassing approach is one I sought to adopt during my chairmanship and I welcome the fact that Minister McEntee is proceeding with a similar approach to strengthen community policing for our neighbourhoods. The Plans will detail how best the community wants to prevent crime and will reflect community priorities and local safety issues. The goal is to make communities safer for families, residents and businesses.

As we have seen with the NEIC Initiative, put in place by Fine Gael in Government, addressing community challenges and underlying problems is not solely undertaken by the Gardaí, it involves everyone, from householders to local businesses, community healthcare, local authorities and state agencies. As former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, termed it, how we make ‘Big G’, i.e. Government work better for marginalised communities.

Just before Christmas, the formal process of setting up the North Inner City Local Community Safety Partnership began. Local Area Manager with Dublin City Council, Karl Mitchell and Ben Ryan, Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Justice wrote to community groups and local organisations seeking their input and willingness to take part in the project.

Early in the new year, a dedicated community-wide online Consultation Session for anyone interested in taking part will be held. Shortly thereafter, it is envisaged that the Local Community Safety Partnership will be set up with a diverse group of members from the communities in the North Inner City, ready to tackle and ultimately improve community safety!

If you would like to get involved or find out more, email me at RayMcAdam@gmail.com.