A BUNCRANA councillor
will meet next week with the local Garda
Superintendent to call for a partnership approach to
community policing.
Sinn Féin's Cllr. Daren Lalor will meet Supt. Jimmy
Coen to persuade him to establish a Joint Policing
Committee (JPC) in the town as a matter of urgency.
"My party and I believe that it is critically
important that a genuine partnership exists between
our communities and An Garda Síochána. It also
important that the Gardaí are accountable to local
communities and public representatives," said Cllr.
Lalor. "During 2007, 29 Joint Policing Committees
were established in pilot local authority areas
across the State. It is now the Minister for
Justice, Brian Lenihan's stated intention to
establish the remaining 85 JPCs early this year."
JPC's may include community and voluntary group
members, councillors, TDs and senators, Garda
officers and the local authority manager.
Their function is to serve as a forum for discussion
and consultation on local policing matters. They are
required to submit an annual report to the local
authority and the minister.
Cllr. Lalor added: "I'm confident from my dealings
so far with the Superintendent, that through the
roll out of the local JPC we will be able to deliver
focused engagement between members of our community
and the Garda Síochána. This, in turn, creates
better understanding of the role of the Garda and
creates better accountability structures. The good
news for Inishowen is that it is one of the
statutory functions of a JPC to host public
meetings, something Letterkenny Town Council has
already successfully done through their own JPC last
year." |
