Waterford one of three locations picked for new community policing scheme

Minister for Justice & Equality Helen McEntee says the Local Community Safety Partnerships take into account the fact that “the problems communities face are not just limited to policing issues”. Picture:Gareth Chaney/Collins

Waterford city is to be one of three locations used as a testing ground for a new scheme aimed at strengthening community policing across the country.

The new Local Community Safety Partnerships are to be trialled in the Munster city, Longford, and Dublin’s north inner-city, and will run for two years.

The Department of Justice, the scheme’s sponsor, said that the locations had been chosen “based on factors including population density, crime rates, and deprivation”.

Each partnership will have an independent chair and will develop its own local community safety plan, with the aim of each electoral area eventually having its own partnership.

Helen McEntee, the Minister for Justice, said the new approach takes into account the fact that “the problems communities face are not just limited to policing issues”.

The Department said that the partnerships will involve residents, community representatives, business interests, councillors, local authorities, and various State services including the gardaí, Tusla, and the HSE to “devise and implement” the community plans.

“What will drive the agenda and objectives of the partnerships will be the community itself,” the Minister said.

The partnerships are set to replace the existing Joint Policing Committee structures, with the new partnerships to be rolled out to the rest of the country following evaluation of how the pilots have fared.

A firm timeframe for their implementation is not yet known, with a Department spokesperson stating the “next steps” will involve engagement with residents, community representatives and other stakeholders in the three pilot areas.