Gardaí 'should not get policing bodies veto'

Cormac O'Keeffe

The Oireachtas Justice Committee called for an assistant commissioner to be given responsibility for community policing in a bid to boost its importance and resources.

The committee said the Government should provide separate, additional funding for the Joint Policing Committees (JICs), which are being proposed by Justice Minister Michael McDowell.

The committee made up of 15 Dáil deputies and senators, eight of them from Fianna Fáil went against the wishes of Mr McDowell and Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy on the issue of the commissioner's veto.

Under the Garda Siochána Bill 2005, currently going through the Dáil, local policing forum can only be set up with the "consent" of the Garda Commissioner. The forum would operate under JICs and cover local areas.

Mr McDowell told the committee that the commissioner's consent was necessary as the fora would have to be serviced by gardaí.

Mr Conroy told the committee he only had finite resources.

Community representatives expressed concern at the provision to the committee.

Fergus McCabe, a member of the management board of the North Inner City Community Policing Forum, said it was "wrong" to give the gardaí a veto.

The National Crime Council the official crime research body said the requirement should be modified and suggested the requirement would undermine the concept of partnership central to the proposed policing arrangements.

The committee said the decision to set up local policing fora should be made by JICs after consulting with the local chief superintendent.

The committee also recommended that JICs include community and voluntary representatives; that JICs be chaired by a local politician and that gardaí appointed to them should be of a senior rank.