Tipperary councillors say the abolition of the JPCs would be a 'retrograde step'

Tipperary councillors are calling for the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee to be protected from plans to replace it with Local Community Safety Partnerships.

Councillors at this week’s Tipperary County Council meeting said they fully support a motion adopted by Louth County Council to retain the JPCs.

The Louth motion read:

“Recognising the significance of the fact that the Joint Policing Committee represents one of the few useful reforms of local government in 2014, this council opposes the proposed legislation to abolish JPCs and replace them with repackaged Local Community Safety Partnerships.”

OPPOSITION

Former member of the committee, Cllr Sean Ryan, said the JPC does great work in the Premier County.

He said an example is the development of the community CCTV schemes, which he said could not have progressed without the support of the JPC.

Cllr Ryan said that abolishing it would “dilute” the council services provided to the public.

“It's a retrograde step if this change is made, and I fully support the motion,” said Cllr Ryan.

Cllr Shane Lee, who is a member of the Tipperary JPC, told members that he knows first-hand the good work done by the committee.

While member David Dunne said it is a “vital link” between the gardai and the council. Cllr Roger Kennedy said:

“It is very important public representatives be represented on the committee,” said Cllr Kennedy.

County Cathaoirleach Cllr Ger Darcy said that local people confide in the local representatives, and the JPC is an opportunity for councillors to raise their community’s concerns.

WHAT IS THE JPC?

The Tipperary Joint Policing Committee was established in 2014 following the merger of north and south Tipperary councils and is provided for under the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

Membership in Tipperary consists of 32 people, two members of the gardai, 15 councillors, all five TDs, members of the Public Participation Network representatives of the farming and business sectors, two officials from Tipperary County Council and is chaired by Cllr Noel Coonan.

The committee meets once every two months and their role is to discuss crime, gardaí-community engagement and other law enforcement issues.

At every meeting, the Garda Chief Superintendent for Clare-Tipperary presents the crime statistics and answers members’ questions. They also receive presentations on various issues, such as anti-social behaviour and road safety.

The JPC has worked to support the community CCTV schemes currently under development.
Members of the media are allowed to observe and report on the committee's activities.

WHAT IS A LCSP?

Local Community Safety Partnerships are the future of Joint Policing Committees.

According to Gov.ie, the LCSPs were implemented in 2022 in Longford, Waterford and north Dublin inner city. The hope is to roll them out nationwide after the 24-month pilot scheme.

According to Dublin City Council:

“The Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) is a new government initiative, which brings together community members, the voluntary and community sector, statutory services, and local councillors to work together in identifying and tackling community safety issues locally.”

This sounds much like the current JPC model except the chairperson is not a councillor but “independent.”

The LCSP appears to be project-based with initiatives including an interactive map of community guards (north Dublin), Community Alert App (Longford) and night-time facilities for young people (Waterford).

However, members of the Tipperary Joint Policing Committee have expressed concerns about how these partnerships will operate.

They say little information has been given to them on the new partnerships.

And that may be because they are still in their pilot phase.