Mayo members seek meeting with minister over policing committee changes

THE chairman of the Mayo Joint Policing Committee (JPC) is to lead a deputation to air concerns about proposed changes to the committees.

Under new legislation, it is proposed to replace JPCs with Community Safety Partnerships, with cross-societal representation that will see councillor numbers reduced.

Members of Mayo JPC, at a meeting, agreed to seek a meeting with Minister of State James Browne, who has responsibility for law reform, led by chairman Councillor Al McDonnell, who said the changes were 'significant' and to the detriment of the county.

JPC member Keelan Moran, Westport, said councillors are the accessible public faces who communities can come to when they have issues. Any dilution of councillor representation essentially dilutes the community focus that they have on the JPC.

Deputy Dara Calleary, who is a member of the Mayo JPC, tabled a parliamentary question on foot of their concerns and explained he did not expect the necessary legislation to be in place until early in 2022. There are three pilots running - in Longford, Dublin and Waterford - for a two-year period. He understood there would no changes to the JPCs until those pilots are completed.

The community safety partnerships would run on a local authority basis, he explained. There would be councillors - seven is the proposal - on it but it would also be extended to have broader community representation, including representatives from youth groups, voluntary sector, business, education, the HSE, and Tusla, as well as existing groups on the JPC.

Minister Browne was willing to meet with the JPC in September to hear their concerns.

Mayo JPC, said Deputy Calleary, had worked very well. They had to protect its strengths and look at strengthening it by involving more.

Councillor Damien Ryan said he saw nothing wrong with reform, and bodies such as the HSE, Tusla and education bodies should be included. But to dismantle what they had here would be totally inappropriate.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne made the point that because of the JPCs there is much greater community involvement.