McEntee’s U-turn on make-up of community policing bodies

HELEN McEntee has made a U-turn on keeping local councillors on community policing bodies to secure the support of Government colleagues.

Before Christmas, Fianna Fáil senators filibustered legislation as they were opposed to a key part of a Bill that will abolish Joint Policing Committees (JPCs). These bodies, which are made up largely of councillors, TDs, senators and local gardaí, meet regularly to discuss security and crime issues.

Under the Bill, these will be replaced with what will be known as Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs). These partnerships will include bodies such as the HSE, Tusla, local charities and other third-party stakeholders.

But there was political opposition because councillors, who are the primary electorate for senators, do not want to lose their ability to engage with the local gardaí. The chair of the JPCs also comes with a remuneration package. The community policing legislation returned to the Seanad yesterday, with Justice Minister Ms McEntee telling senators: ‘It’s not the intention, nor has it ever been the intention, to leave councillors out, or exclude them from any new role or any new position.

‘In each partnership we will have 30 members. As part of that you will have a set number that will have to be on the committee. That will include at least seven members from the local authority.’

She said there would be ten members who are not allocated to be from mandated groups; this means there can be up to 17 Legislation: Helen McEntee members from a local authority. Councillors will also be able to chair the partnership; it was originally envisaged the chair would be independent. Ms McEntee said: ‘I will engage with other representative groups before the regulations are put in place.’ One Fianna Fáil senator told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘An agreement has been reached between our group, the AILG [Association of Irish Local Government], and the minister. It is now possible that the chair can be a councillor. ’ Asked if they were frustrated that they had to filibuster the Bill and get into an argument with Tánaiste Micheál Martin to sort this issue, one senator said: ‘You might say... ‘It shouldn’t have got to the stage that it did. But we are happy now.’