Garda chief to launch new community policing model

THE Garda Commissioner will be in Cork city today to launch the first “community policing” model of its kind in the country.

Community policing was introduced in the city in 1988 and today there are two sergeants and 28 community gardaí working in the community policing area across the city. Over the years, they have developed links with the business community and the statutory and voluntary organisations dealing with young people, the elderly, the vulnerable, and the marginalised.

A community safety forum has been established in each of the city’s four Garda districts, and each forum is supported by a community safety unit. They work with the city council, forming the backbone of community policing.