Victor Boyhan backs Bill as 'right thing to do' for communities
Victor Boyhan welcomes the Minister to the House and gives his unequivocal support for the Bill on community safety. He thanks the Garda Commission and CAB, praises community safety partnerships and highlights a community safety fund opened on 13 April with over four million currently available.
Victor Boyhan tells the Minister that he will have his absolute support for the Bill, calling it the right thing to do. He frames the legislation as central to community policing and to bringing those who profit from crime to account.
Boyhan acknowledges the work of the Garda Commission and their staff and particularly thanks CAB for difficult and important work. He stresses confidence in both covert and overt policing efforts across the state and praises the bravery and professionalism within the Garda.
He welcomes the Minister's commitment to community safety partnerships, noting progress since the Minister took office and the involvement of local authorities and community stakeholders. Boyhan argues that policing must be shared across communities and their leaders.
Boyhan highlights the community safety fund opened on 13 April and says it currently holds over four million. He urges clearer communication about how communities can apply, arguing that visible local benefits will build public confidence and a sense of justice.
Support for the Bill
Victor Boyhan tells the Minister that he will have his absolute support for the Bill, calling it the right thing to do. He frames the legislation as central to community policing and to bringing those who profit from crime to account.
Praise for Garda and CAB
Boyhan acknowledges the work of the Garda Commission and their staff and particularly thanks CAB for difficult and important work. He stresses confidence in both covert and overt policing efforts across the state and praises the bravery and professionalism within the Garda.
Community safety partnerships
He welcomes the Minister's commitment to community safety partnerships, noting progress since the Minister took office and the involvement of local authorities and community stakeholders. Boyhan argues that policing must be shared across communities and their leaders.
Community safety fund and local impact
Boyhan highlights the community safety fund opened on 13 April and says it currently holds over four million. He urges clearer communication about how communities can apply, arguing that visible local benefits will build public confidence and a sense of justice.
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Transcript
First I want to welcome the Minister, it's great to see you in the house. I think you're a permanent feature of the house but I like it. So do I and I intend staying for a hell of a long time. But anyway Minister, I want to thank you for your engagement, ongoing engagement as Minister. I also want to thank you, I know it has been a difficult few days for government and for you and you take your responsibilities seriously. I also want to thank your officials that are accompanying you here today. I can tell you unequivocally you will have my absolute support for this Bill. I'm not going to spend too much time. I mean it's the right thing to do Minister. And I suppose really just to touch on, I want to acknowledge some people before I say a few words about the Bill. I want to thank the Garda Commission and all their staff and I particularly want to thank CAB for the amazing work they have done. It has been difficult, very difficult. We do not see half or understand half of what's going on. But I think we can take some confidence in the fact that on Garda Siocona are working covertly and overtly and our agents on behalf of the security of this state in liaison with government and the appropriate contacts that are there. So that's an assurance that I think we have and all throughout the state on Garda Siocona has served this state well. They are brave men and women, highly articulate, highly trained, particularly in the intake of Garda in the last 20 to 25 years. There is equal opportunities within the force. They are a diverse force. They represent the people that live in our communities, ethnically, culturally and all the diversity that goes with that which enriches what policing should be all about. And what's core to this Bill is that it's at the very heart of community safety and community policing and it brings people to account and people hurt when it affects their pocket. And after all these are proceeds of crime. Let's be very clear what we're talking about and what we're dealing about. I'd like to welcome Minister your commitment to the community safety partnerships. They have been difficult to bed down. Some local authorities have had problems with them but I think since you became Minister a lot of things that were in abeyance for a long time have been ironed out and some really able and capable people, many of our local authority members have signed up to the policing partnerships and yes they're evolving and I want to wish all of them across the 31 local authorities well in their important work. And that's important because it's not only about elected people, it's about stakeholders, leading stakeholders, stakeholders and people who are respected in their community in partnership. There's no one person has to be charged with all the responsibility. It must be cushioned across and spread across our community and our community leaders and our stakeholders. I'm particularly impressed by the community safety fund and that you have opened this I think on the 13th of April and the projects and I think we need to know more about those projects because we've got to continue to sell this message that some of the funds from these activities will go into the community safety fund and I understand it's over four million is in the fund currently and I think that's particularly good. Yes we've a bit of work on going out there to tell people that they can apply for these funds and the criteria that is required but I think when people see the benefits of this fund in their own communities they will get a sense of justice and a sense of support that the system isn't all one way and I think for the for too long in the past people have had grave reservations and this feeling that people have gone unhindered. Well they're not gone unhindered, we don't necessarily know the level of policing that's going on but I think we can take confidence from what you have been saying since you became Minister for Justice. You are on the case and you don't have to be publicly on the case, privately on a day-to-day basis. You're working collaboratively with people and I want to acknowledge that. You will have Minister my full support in relation to this bill. Thank you.