Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee, Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick, today called for the roll out of the Small Area Policing initiative across Dublin as an effective way of bringing a visible and reassuring Garda presence back into communities across the capital.
Cllr Fitzpatrick welcomed the progress report today from Chief Superintendent Pat Leahy of Store Street station to the elected representatives for the area on roll-out of Small Area Policing in the Dublin North Central police division (Store Street, Fitzgibbon Street and Bridewell Districts) that has resulted in up to 200 gardai being permanently deployed to active community policing.
She said the bottom up approach to providing a policing service under the Small Area Policing plan is proving highly effective in maintaining, and in some cases restoring, good Garda-Community relations in the parts of the city where it has been implemented.
Cllr Fitzpatrick said the Small Area Policing strategy involves the deployment of up to 200 gardai who are going door-to-door to engage with residents in the Dublin North Central area with a view to identifying and addressing their security concerns and general quality of life issues.
“The garda presence alone is a source of reassurance to communities and this is further enhanced by the genuine interest shown in the individual anxieties and concerns of residents”, Cllr Fitzpatrick said. “It is a logical next step to replicate what is being achieved in the North Central district across the rest of Dublin and strive to make each area a safer place to live, work and visit.”
