Dublin City Council’s South Central Area Committee has called on the Lord Mayor to convene a full meeting of Dublin city’s Joint Policing Committee to discuss safety in the capital.
Sinn Féin Cllr. Daithí Doolan said that Dublin community safety must be put firmly back on the agenda.
Cllr. Doolan said:
“This motion that was unanimously passed at this week’s South Central Area Committee meeting recognises the urgent need for Dublin City’s Joint Policing Committee to meet as soon as possible.
“Recent events across Dublin clearly show the need for an inter-agency approach to tackling the causes and consequences of crime in Dublin. The joint policing committee is the only place where agencies can be held to account and can agree on plans to work together with communities to make Dublin safe.
“It is unacceptable that the public have been left in limbo waiting for the new Community Safety Partnerships to be established. Several months have passed since the legislation governing these partnerships was passed by the Dáil.
“Unfortunately, while we wait there has been no structure or space for elected representatives, community reps or businesses to hold agencies including Garda, public transport companies and Dublin City Council to account for safety in our city. This leaves a dangerous vacuum which only gets filled by those who will sow seeds of conflict and division.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in Dublin. We urgently need to work together to make Dublin a safe, welcoming place to live, work and visit. I am calling on the Lord Mayor to convene a meeting of the Joint Policing Committee as soon as possible to put community safety back on the agenda for this city.”
Full motion: This Area Committee expresses concern that there has been no proper meeting of the Citywide Joint Policing Committee since early last year. This is despite an agreement with the then Lord Mayor, James Geoghegan, that the structure would remain in place until the new Community Safety Partnerships were fully operational This Area Committee calls on the Lord Mayor and DCC management to convene a full meeting of the JPC as soon as possible.
