Plans to abolish Tipperary Joint Policing Committee criticised as 'attack on local democracy'

The impending replacement of Tipperary’s Joint Policing Committee with a new body with less elected representatives was criticised at the committee’s latest quarterly meeting in Tipperary Town last Thursday.

Tipperary JPC Chairman Cllr Noel Coonan told fellow JPC members they were facing into the last one or two meetings of the committee as all JPCs across the country are going to be replaced by larger bodies comprised of more non-elected people.

These will be called Local Community Safety Partnerships and Cllr Coonan said three pilot partnerships had been set up in Dublin north inner city, Waterford and Longford which aim to identify and tackle community safety issues.

These new bodies comprise representatives of residents and community groups, business and education groups and statutory services such as An Garda Síochána, Tusla, HSE, the local authority and public representatives.

Cllr Coonan said this new model was “certainly an attack on local democracy”.

“What is happening is bigger bodies with more non-elected people. At least we as councillors are answerable to the public. You can take it that the JPC as we know it is about to be disbanded. We are facing into our last one or two meetings.”

His Fine Gael party colleague Cllr John Crosse also expressed disappointment with the change on the way as he considered the Joint Policing Committee as an important place for councillors to air their concerns.

Tipperary JPC is part of a network of Joint Policing Committees in each local authority area in the country and their purpose has been act as a forum where the local authority and the senior Garda Officers responsible for policing that area can consult, discuss and make recommendations on policing matters.

Joint Policing Commitees are comprised of councillors, Oireachtas members, members of An Garda Síochána, community representatives from the Public Participation Network, farming and business representatives.