Give city council role in policing, says study

A new report on crime and law enforcement in Dublin recommends an increased role for the city council in policing matters, and for the Garda to be more accountable to the local authority.

The report of the Lord Mayor's Commission on Crime, seen by The Irish Times, also recommends greater powers for the council in relation to applications for licensing extensions to tackle the alcohol problem. The commission recommends that the council provide additional wet hostels for chronic alcoholics.

One of the key recommendations is the establishment of a "community safety and policing team" to review crime and policing matters in the city.

The team would be made up of gardaí and elected officials, but would be directly "answerable" to the council, the report says.

The report, to be presented today to the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Michael Conaghan, also calls for gardaí to be appointed to work in the civic offices with local authority officials to "embed policing in the community".

A new Assistant Garda Commissioner should be appointed specifically to deal with community policing and community police officers should be selected to work in particular areas for a minimum of two years, it says.

The commission is also calling for radical changes in the courts and the establishment of a new "problem-solving court" to deal with "low-level crime".

Ten new judges should be appointed to the District Courts.

In the area of social services, the commission recommends integrating parenting courses into all health board programmes, extending the opening hours of "public facilities for young people", and expanding the role of local drugs task forces.

Inviting submissions from the public last October, Cllr Conaghan said the commission would identify solutions to public consumption of alcohol and drugs, street fighting, excessive noise, and other nuisance behaviour on streets and public spaces.

A new partnership at local level between the police, local communities and the elected members of local authorities was necessary to implement these solutions, he said.

"Policing is crucial but on its own provides only a part of the overall solution. We must also re-energise civic mindedness. Individuals, parents, schools and communities all have a role to play on this issue," he added.

The commission was established last year in an attempt to address the growing "public anxiety" about crime and disorder in the city.

Cllr Conaghan and the commission took submissions from a number of voluntary organisations and met members of the judiciary and senior police officers from the Republic and Northern Ireland.