‘Deal with crime locally’

THE Labour party has called for a range of new structures to be put in place to improve policing and involve local communities in the fight against crime.

The party’s spokesman on justice Joe Costello yesterday criticised the Government’s decision to spend an additional 5.3% on the State’s police force, saying the money would be better invested in community policing.

“Crime takes place in the community and should be dealt with in the community,” Mr Costello said.

“The Minister for Justice is putting money into the wrong area. The structures and mechanisms have to be put in place to allow the police (to) work with the community,” he said.

Speaking in Waterford, Mr Costello said the role of the community was central to modern policing and urged a reform of existing structures as well as the creation of new bodies to allow better co-operation between citizens and the gardaí.

“New structures of policing and community participation will have to be developed and be allowed to evolve over time to reflect the new ethos that the Garda Síochána’s role is not to police the community but rather to police with the community,” Mr Costello said.

One of his suggestions was for a Community Policing Forum, which would represent the primary point of contact between local people and the gardaí. Mr Costello also called for an Independent Commission on Policing to open up debate on modern policing with communities across the country.