Senior Executive Officer, Ms. Fiona Ní Chuinn, delivered a presentation on the background, purpose, structure and current progress of the Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP).

The key points from the presentation were as follows:

·        The LCSP is established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which commenced in April 2025

·        The Act reflects national policy that community safety is a shared responsibility, requiring coordinated action across public services, communities and An Garda Síochána

• The LCSP replaces the former Joint Policing Committee (JPC)
• It has a broader remit, moving beyond policing alone to include harm prevention, anti?social behaviour, youth engagement, domestic, sexual and gender?based violence, mental health and wellbeing, road and traffic safety, substance misuse supports and safe public spaces and community cohesion
• It is hosted by the local authority and supported by the Department of Justice through the National Office for Community Safety
• The LCSP operates on a partnership basis with wide representation from Elected Members, An Garda Síochána (AGS), Local Authority representatives HSE, Tusla and community, voluntary and sectoral representatives
• The Partnership will meet a minimum of six times per year, including public meetings
• Functions include acting as a forum for identifying and discussing community safety issues, carrying out public consultation and engagement, developing and overseeing the implementation of a three?year Local Community Safety Plan, coordinating actions across agencies and services, providing input into local policing plans and supporting local and neighbourhood safety forums where appropriate
• Focus groups have taken place with young people, minority communities, the Traveller community and migrant groups
• Public consultation events have been held across the county
• There is targeted engagement with older people through Age Friendly initiatives
• The Roscommon Community Safety Survey 2026 has been launched to gather county?wide feedback
• Next steps include the consolidation of information from focus groups, consultations and the survey, progression of Roscommon’s first three?year Community Safety Plan, informed by evidence and community input and continued collaboration with An Garda Síochána on initiatives such as property marking and road safety education

Members thanked Ms. Ní Chuinn for her detailed presentation, wished the committee luck and discussed the following:

·        Importance of completing the survey to highlight issues, Members encouraged to circulate to their communities

·        Multi-agency focused with great representation across the committee.

·        Limited budget available

·        The lack of representation from the fire service was noted, especially with Roscommon having one of the oldest demographics in the country and the importance of fire safety. It was queried if this could be reconsidered

·        Concern that the former Joint Policing Committee had a higher representation of AGS personnel, as well as having representation from Oireachtas members and Chief Executive of the Local Authority versus one AGS member and one Director of Services on the current committee

·        The prevalence of drug crime and drug abuse was also highlighted

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Callaghan reiterated that community safety is of utmost importance and condemned anyone putting anything on social media in relation to AGS or the work they do. He complemented the Gardaí representation at local events and their importance and highlighted the role the Civil Defence plays in community safety also. He wished the committee the best of luck.

Chief Executive, Mr. Shane Tiernan, added that the Garda Youth Awards would be launched tomorrow with Longford County Council and encouraged nominations for same.

Ms. Ní Chuinn thanked the members for their contributions and explained that the approach the committee takes is that the representatives from various groups would liaise with the relevant people on behalf of that group and so Director of Services, Chris Flynn, who sits on the committee would serve as the Local Authorities representative, which includes the Fire Service. She advised that this can be explored further if the committee decides as there is room for three more members.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Keogh

               SECONDED by Cllr. Frain

It was AGREED that the Chief Fire Officer or such other proxy be adopted onto the Local Community Safety Partnership.