Victor Boyhan: Calls for Debate on New Policing Community Safety Body
Victor Boyhan spoke on 2 April 2025 about the dissolution of the policing authority and the Encarnation Court Inspectorate and the establishment of the new Policing Community Safety PCSI under the Planning and Security Community Safety Act 2024. He praised the policing authority's record since 2016, thanked its staff and CEO Helen Hall, and urged a parliamentary debate on unresolved local community safety partnerships and councillor concerns.
Transition in policing oversight
From 2 April 2025 the policing authority and the Encarnation Court Inspectorate are dissolved and the Policing Community Safety PCSI is formally established. The change is part of the wider policing reform programme described as 'a policing service for our future' following commencement of the Planning and Security Community Safety Act 2024.
Record of the policing authority
The policing authority, formed in January 2016, oversaw the performance of Angarda Shakona and promoted equality, diversity and inclusion. It held 150 authority meetings with the Garda Commissioner, 44 of which were public, appointed 346 senior Garda members to Garda staff, engaged more than 260 stakeholder groups and received over 3,500 consultations and responses.
Acknowledgements and leadership
Victor Boyhan expressed personal gratitude to everyone who worked in support of the policing authority over nine years and paid particular thanks to Helen Hall, the CEO, for her leadership role in the authority's work.
Local community safety partnerships and councillors' concerns
He highlighted disquiet about the establishment of local community safety partnerships and said councillors who wished to chair some of these partnerships were still waiting to hear what is going on. He warned that the process had become "motherless" and argued elected representatives deserve advocacy on community policing and local partnerships.
Call for parliamentary debate
Victor Boyhan asked the Leader to schedule a debate with the Minister for Justice in the coming weeks specifically on local community safety partnerships and related unresolved issues for city and county councillors.
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I want to raise the issue today in relation to the policing authority so you will know or many of you should know that from today, the 2nd of April 2025, the policing authority and the Encarnation Court Inspectorate will be dissolved and a new policing community safety PCSI will be officially established. That is happening this very day. This transition is part of a wider policing reform programme called a policing service for our future and comes as a result of the commencement of the Planning and Security Community Safety Act 2024. Since its formation in January 2016, the policing authority has been committed to overseeing the performance of Angarda Shakona and have championed equality, diversity and inclusion both within the policing service and across our communities. That is an important point and I wish to have it acknowledged. I would like to express my own personal gratitude to everyone who has worked in support of the policing authority over the past nine years. Through their collaboration, trust and shared commitment, better policing has been made possible. I also particularly would like to thank Helen Hall, the CEO, for the enormous leadership role that she took in terms of taking on this task. I suppose I will finish on this point, Leader. First I want to point out that over the time since the policing authority was established in 2016, they held 150 authority meetings with Garda Commissioner including 44 of these were public. They appointed 346 senior Garda members to Garda staff. They had more than 260 engagements with stakeholder groups and organisations and they received over 3,500 consultations and responses. What I ask here of you Leader today, I think we should have a debate on the local community safety partnership. You will know and many of us will know who represent and work closely with our city and county councillors, the disquiet about how these were established or were to be established, overhanging issues that have not been resolved, councillors who made and indicated their desire to chair some of these partnerships and are still waiting to hear what is going on. The whole thing has become motherless. And for most of us who are elected by our city and county councillors, I think we owe it to them to champion that particular issue about community policing and local community safety partnerships. I would ask that we would have a debate with the Minister for Justice in relation to this specific matter in the coming weeks. Thank you.
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