Public views sought on policing priorities
The new oversight body for An Garda Síochána - the Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) is encouraging people to contribute to a public consultation that will help determine policing priorities in the future.
Chairperson of the PCSA Elaine Byrne said the determination of policing priorities for An Garda Síochána is an important element of the PCSA's work.
"The policing priorities, when determined, provide clarity on the key areas that require particular attention to improve policing services to the public."
She said the priorities will also highlight the areas within which PCSA oversight will focus and set the context for the Garda Commissioner's development of An Garda Síochána's Strategic Plan and Annual Service Plan.
Established last month, the PCSA is the successor organisation to the Policing Authority. The role of the PCSA is to independently oversee and assess the performance of An Garda Síochána in relation to policing services.
It has assumed most of the existing functions of the Policing Authority, as well as an additional function in community safety.
As part of its public consultation on the policing priorities for An Garda Síochána for 2026-2028, the organisation has set up a 10-minute online questionnaire that allows the public to allocate 'points' to the areas of policing they consider a priority.
The PCSA consultation runs until 8 June, and it is open to anyone over 16 years of age.
The organisation will also hold in-person public consultations. The first of which will take place in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, this morning.
Ms Byrne said the public consultation offers an opportunity for people to have their say on what they believe An Garda Síochána should prioritise.
"It is important that communities and individuals have an opportunity to input into the development of the priorities.
"Including more voices and perspectives will help significantly to determine what policing best delivers a sense of safety and security in the community," Ms Byrne said.
The PCSA met in private with the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, recently, where they discussed the development of the policing priorities, An Garda Síochána's Annual Service Plan and the protection of children in the State, amongst other matters.
The Authority will meet monthly with the Garda Commissioner to discuss policing performance and matters of community safety.
These meetings with the Garda Commissioner will be held in public, and they will be live-streamed at least four times a year. The first public meeting will take place in three weeks.
The PCSA said its establishment ushers in "a new era in policing accountability and community safety in Ireland".
The objective, functions and powers of the PCSA are detailed in the Policing, Security and Community Safety (PSCS) Act 2024.
The independent, statutory agency was established on 2 April 2025, following the commencement of PSCS legislation.
The authority will also inform and advise the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O'Callaghan, on developments in policing and on best policing practice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Gardaí preparing for thousands at pro-Palestinian and far-right rallies in Cork
Gardaí in Cork say they will have 'appropriate and proportionate policing measures' in place to allow people express their rights and maintain public order during two large rallies in the city on Saturday. It is understood that gardaí are preparing for a crowd of between 8,000 to 10,000 people. A pro-Palestine march and what's being billed as a "national protest for Ireland", organised by anti-immigration campaigners and far-right agitators, are set to take place in the city at around the same time on Saturday afternoon. A Munster–wide rally and march for Palestine is set to start at 1pm on the Grand Parade. There has been a march for Palestine through Cork City every Saturday since the war in Gaza started. On Saturday, members of the public and Palestinian solidarity groups from across Cork, Kerry, Clare, Limerick, Waterford and Tipperary will converge on the city for what could be one of the largest rallies to date. They will gather afterwards on the Grand Parade where speakers will call on the Irish Government to place sanctions on Israel, to stop the Central Bank from authorising the sale of Israeli bonds in Europe, and to pass a strong Occupied Territories Bill. Anti-immigration At around the same time, several leading anti-immigration activists and far-right agitators are also set to gather on the Grand Parade for what they've called a "national protest for Ireland". Several thousand people marched in a similar rally in Dublin last month. The former Ireland First leader and failed European and general election candidate Derek Blighe is among the main organisers of the Cork event. Participants will then move from the Grand Parade and march to City Hall, where speakers are expected to criticise the Government and the media on a range of issues — including immigration, housing, and health. In a statement on Friday, gardaí said they are aware of and prepared for both events. 'Ireland operates as a constitutional democracy, ensuring that citizens have the right to express their beliefs and opinions freely, as well as to gather peacefully, in accordance with legal provisions,' a spokesperson said. To manage public gatherings effectively, An Garda Síochána employs appropriate and proportionate policing measures, enabling citizens to exercise their rights while maintaining public order 'In response to evolving events, An Garda Síochána follows a community policing model, adopting a graduated approach that aligns with relevant legislation and prioritises public safety.' The Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign says it has organised online training with up to 50 stewards to 'protect their movement, space, and community', and that they have had extensive contact with gardaí on logistics. Traffic disruption is expected in the city centre island area around lunchtime, and could last for over an hour. Read More Trinity college board votes to cut ties with Israeli universities and companies
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Nine e-scooters seized as gardaí use new safety technology in Dublin
Gardaí have begun trialling new safety devices that can measure the speed of e-scooters and e-bikes. The portable devices, called mobile dynamometers, can determine the maximum speed that the vehicles are capable of. New laws governing the use of e-scooters were introduced in May 2024 and include limiting their maximum speed to 20km/h. They must also meet lighting and braking standards. The use of such vehicles by those under the age of 16 was also banned. READ MORE Any e-scooters that do not comply with these requirements can be seized by gardaí and a fixed charge notice can be issued to the user. In a post on X, the Garda said checks were carried out using the new dynamometer technology in Dublin on Thursday. Nine e-scooters were seized for a range of offences, including speeding and exceeding the maximum rated power output. [ E-scooters perceived as most dangerous form of transport in Ireland, report finds Opens in new window ] Fine Gael councillor for Dublin's north inner city Ray McAdam welcomed the new technology. 'We see e-scooters and similar machines travelling at speeds much greater than 20km/h across our city streets'. 'Those that ride those machines, I believe, are at risk because of the speeds they travel at, but they're also a huge risk to other road users and other pedestrians in the city centre'. Janet Horner, a Green Party councillor in the same district, said that while the speed enforcement is generally positive, 'it will also exasperate some road safety campaigners who have been calling for more enforcement on cars and other vehicles in the city. 'There is widespread and blatant flouting of the current speed limits around the city by all vehicles and we urgently need more enforcement mechanisms, including speed cameras, red light cameras and more visible traffic policing.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Teenage boys sentenced to six years in detention for raping girl in car at Limerick Racecourse
Two boys who raped a teenage girl in a car at Limerick Racecourse when they were aged just 13 and 15 have each been sentenced to six years in detention. A third defendant, now aged 18, who was found guilty of aiding and abetting the rapes by moving the car in which it occurred was jailed for 3½ years. The daytime attack against the girl involved humiliation and degradation, the Central Criminal Court heard. The convicted rapists and their families do not accept the verdicts of the jury and there was a heavy garda presence in court for Thursday's sentencing. READ MORE Mr Justice Paul McDermott said that had the boys – who are all cousins – been adults at the time of the offending, the headline sentence for the rape offences would have been in the range of 15 years to life imprisonment. 'This was a 16-year-old intoxicated girl in a vulnerable situation subjected to rape and sexual assault,' he said. 'She was raped one after the other by (the two boys) and in the course of these rapes, she was sexually assaulted.' The girl was repeatedly said 'no' during the assaults and further indignity and humiliation was heaped upon her by video footage being taken of the incident, the judge said. Handing down sentence, Mr Justice McDermott noted there was very little to be said in mitigation for the boys, as they have not expressed remorse or any understanding of the harm caused to the complainant. They must be sentenced as juveniles under the Children Act, in which detention is a last resort, the court heard. The judge accepted the third defendant, who aided and abetted the rapes, has taken some responsibility for his involvement but struggles to understand it. He noted they have no previous convictions and have been subject to some childhood trauma, with mental health difficulties in their families. They had a lack of understanding in the areas of sexual relations and consent, the court heard. Mr Justice McDermott sentenced the two rapists to 7½ years of detention, with the final 18 months suspended on a number of conditions, including that they engage in sexual offending programmes and have no contact with the complainant. The judge noted that part of their sentence will be served in prison. He sentenced the third defendant to five years in jail as he is now aged over 18. He suspended the final 18 months on the same conditions. The three boys stood trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork earlier this year, with two of them (now aged 16 and 17) found guilty of sexually assaulting and raping the then 16-year-old girl in a car at the racecourse on December 26th, 2022. They were 13 and 15 at the time. The third boy (now 18) was found guilty by the jury of four counts of aiding and abetting the rapes and sexual assaults following the six-week trial. The court heard he moved the car during the course of the attack. He was aged 15 at the time. He was acquitted of one count of false imprisonment. The boys denied raping the girl, telling gardaí differing versions of events, with one claiming he was in Dublin on the day in question. They all eventually claimed it was a consensual encounter. Det Garda Lisa O'Regan told Dean Kelly SC, prosecuting, that the girl was socialising with her friends at the racecourse on the day in question. She was, in her own words, 'really drunk' when she got chatting to the three boys, Mr Kelly said. The court heard she agreed to go for a walk with one of the boys because she wanted to kiss him. Instead, she found herself in a car belonging to one of the boy's fathers where she was sexually assaulted and raped by two of them. When medically examined later that evening, she was found to have extensive bleeding and bruising. She was a virgin before the attack. The complainant, now aged 18, was not in court for the sentence hearing. In a victim statement read out on her behalf by counsel, she described her fear and anxiety in the aftermath of the attack, during which she was 'begging them to get off me'. 'At the age of 16, I had my innocence stripped away from me,' she said. 'These two (boys) took what they wanted with no regrets.' She said her parents had to hear every 'vulgar' and 'gruesome' detail of what happened to her and that she will 'forever have guilt on my shoulders – not just for how it affected me, but everyone around me'.
