'Scattergun' access to Safety Partnerships criticised

THE association representing regional news publishers has hit out at media restrictions around attendance at the new Local Community Safety Partnership groups.

The groups, which are operated by local councils and were set up to replace Joint Policing Committees, were told by its ruling body that at least six meetings should be held in their first year, but stipulated only at least one should allow media and public access.

Some councils including in Kildare have denied access to the media to all meetings bar one, while others have maintained the same level of open access that was available for Joint Policing Committee meetings.

Bob Hughes, executive director of Local Ireland, which represents 37 local newspapers and their online platforms, said: “This á la carte approach to media access flies in the face of Government supports for local democracy reporting.

“Quite clearly these meetings are of legitimate public interest, as recognised by those local authorities that are welcoming the media to attend all Community Safety Partnership meetings.

“Sadly, the same cannot be said for all councils. Some councils are issuing their own press releases about these meetings while at the same time denying access to independent media organisations.

“The National Office for Community Safety, which is an office of the Department of Justice, issued guidelines which offered councils the option of declining media access to all but one of the meetings and there has been a scattergun approach across the country as a consequence.” 

 A Department of Justice spokesperson responded with the following statement: ‘The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is not limiting media access to Local Community Safety Partnerships (Safety Partnerships).

‘The National Office for Community Safety issued a comprehensive guidance document for the establishment and operation of Local Community Safety Partnerships to Chief Executives of local authorities and their staff to support the establishment of the Safety Partnership in their administrative area.

‘As outlined in the regulations for the operation of Local Community Safety Partnerships, they may hold as many meetings as required but must meet at least six times a year, including one public meeting, which all members of the community, including the media, can attend.

‘The guidance document allows Safety Partnerships the flexibility to develop and implement arrangements that are responsive to local circumstances and community safety needs. It is a "living document", which can be updated to reflect new learnings, as well as changes in policy and operational context.

‘Transparency and accountability to the general public and media are an important factor of the Safety Partnerships’ work. The guidance provides that Safety Partnerships can facilitate media attendance at meetings at their discretion and by way of a request to the Chair.

‘ In recognition of the need for transparency and the important role of the media the guidance advises that where a Local Community Safety Partnership holds meetings in private, a report of the meeting should be made publicly available and that such reports be shared directly with the media as part of a Safety Partnership's communications strategy.

‘It should be noted that, whilst Local Community Safety Partnerships are hosted by local authorities, they are not a committee of the council. In accordance with the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing, and in recognition that community safety is not solely the responsibility of An Garda Síochána, they bring together a broader range of relevant stakeholders to identify and respond to issues relating to community safety in a coordinated, proactive way.

‘The work of Local Community Safety Partnerships therefore is relational and based on a partnership approach. The guidance provides that Safety Partnerships give consideration to holding some meetings in private to allow for relationship building and early trust to develop among members and as work plans are being agreed and developed. As per the guidance, this approach should be reviewed as the partnership's work evolves.

‘It is important to note that while Safety Partnerships replaced Joint Policing Committees, they serve a different statutory purpose and are therefore almost completely different in their role, functions and composition. Accordingly, the working arrangements that operated for JPCs are not necessarily the most appropriate for Safety Partnerships.

‘Whilst the National Office for Community Safety has provided guidance on their operation the Department has no input into the day-to-day activities and deliberations of each Safety Partnership. This is clear from the fact that different Safety Partnerships have chosen different approaches to how they operate.’