Minister McEntee announces Chairs of Local Community Safety Partnerships
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From: Department of Justice
- Published on: 7 October 2024
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, today (Monday) announced the appointment of chairpersons to the first 7 Local Community Safety Partnerships being established across the country. These appointments follow expressions of interest conducted by each Local Authority, and the newly appointed Chairs will work to develop and manage Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) within their respective areas.
The appointment of new chairs is the first step in the development of a Community Safety Plan in every Local Authority Area. Each partnership will develop a plan which meets the needs of their community. It will set out the actions to be taken to improve community safety and allow communities to hold local services accountable for implementation of the plan.
Plans will focus on a range of measures from dealing with anti social behaviour and delivering youth justice measures to improving refuge collection, street lighting and access to services.
Partnerships will be able to apply for funding from the Community Safety Fund which was established by Minister McEntee and ensures that the proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau are reinvested back into communities.
Speaking at the announcement, Minister McEntee said:
"Today the nationwide roll out of community safety partnerships will begin with the appointment of 7 new chairs. This is a radical new approach to community safety which will empower communities to implement new initiatives to improve local safety and to hold service providers to account on agreed actions. It will bring together the full range of stakeholders in each community, including residents, voluntary groups, public representatives and state agencies.
"At a national level we are taking the necessary measures to significantly grow the size of An Garda Síochána, increase the size of the Garda reserve, increase the use of CCTV, roll out body worn cameras nationwide and introduce facial recognition technology as part of the fight against crime.
"At a local level, community safety partnerships will play a key role in working with not just An Garda Síochána, but with other public bodies to ensure they are taking action to make our communities safer. Bad public lighting, waste collection, poor planning of public spaces, the location of services, all contribute to feelings of safety in our towns and cities. This new approach allows communities to set out a plan to ensure every body is taking necessary actions, and the Government will back these plans with funding through the Community Safety Fund which I intend to continue to grow year on year.
“Today I am very pleased that seven Local Authorities have already appointed voluntary chairs of the new Community Safety Partnerships. I want to congratulate Brendan McGrath, Pat Forde, Ciarán Reid, Marian Quinn, Mari Casserly, Noel Coonan, and Seamus Boyle on their appointments as Chairperson of their respective partnerships. I know that they each bring unique experience and expertise to the role, and that they will all work to drive forward the work of their partnerships.
“ I look forward to the continued successful rollout of the remaining partnerships nationwide in the coming months.”
The Minister also noted the publication of the final report of an independent evaluation of three Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) pilot sites.
“We have successfully piloted the partnership approach to Community Safety in three areas and these trials have shown how the model can succeed in different settings and contexts.
“The three pilot partnerships –Longford, Waterford and the North East Inner City - have shown real leadership by embracing this new approach to community safety over the last few years. I want to thank all those involved in each partnership. Their commitment has helped provide strong foundations for the national rollout of the LCSPs in the coming months.”
The Centre for Effective Services (CES) completed its final report evaluating the Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) pilot sites, concluding that the LCSP model fits well with the Government’s vision for building stronger and safer communities and community safety as a whole of Government responsibility with the community voice/involvement as a core feature.
Speaking at the announcement, the Minister also welcomed the publication of the fourth progress report on the Drogheda Implementation Plan:
“In publishing the Implementation Plan three years ago the Government agreed to put a special focus on Drogheda. This progress report highlights the Drogheda Implementation Board’s continued success with driving initiatives that are improving community wellbeing and safety in Drogheda and its surrounds.
“Major investment from across Government has gone into support services and new initiatives in the area, the breadth of which highlighted our new whole of Government approach to community safety. Investment was made to help address crime and drug use; further community development; provide early interventions for children and young people; enhance vocational education and training opportunities; alongside supports for business and enterprise.
“I am pleased to say that the Drogheda Implementation Board will continue its work over the coming months as the new permanent Louth Local Community Safety Partnership is established.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
To support a new government initiative, local authorities across Ireland have sought voluntary chairpersons to develop and manage Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) within their respective areas.
As part of an Expression of Interest (EOI) process conducted by each Local Authority, the next step required the Minister for Justice formally appoint the Chairperson for each LCSP.
Seven local authorities have completed the EOI process to identify suitable Chairpersons for their LCSPs. LCSP Assessment Panels were convened for seven LCSP areas. The panels reviewed the shortlisted candidates, conducted interviews where necessary, and recommended preferred candidates for appointment by the Minister.
The full list of appointments is:
| Name | Local Authority |
| Brendan McGrath | Kildare County Council |
| Pat Forde | Leitrim County Council |
| Ciarán Reid | Louth County Council |
| Marian Quinn | South Dublin County Council |
| Marie Casserly | Sligo County Council |
| Noel Coonan | Tipperary County Council |
| Seamus Boyle | Longford County Council |
Final Evaluation Report of the LCSPs Pilots
The final evaluation report of the LCSPs can be accessed here:
The LCSP pilot was accompanied by an independent formative evaluation designed to capture the learning arising from the two-year pilot phase.
The purpose of the evaluation was to inform the rollout of LCSPs in local authority areas across Ireland in accordance with the development of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024.The Centre for Effective Services (CES), in partnership with the University of Limerick, was contracted by the Department of Justice in early 2021, to conduct the evaluation of the pilot. The pilot was a specific time bound exercise to test the LCSP model as experienced in real time in three different locations.
4th Progress Report of the Drogheda Implementation Plan
The 4th Progress Report of the Drogheda Implementation Plan is available to view here:
Further information on the Drogheda Implementation Board can be found on the Drogheda Implementation Board website.
The Drogheda Implementation Board, which is resourced by the Department of Justice, is supported and hosted by the Louth Meath Education and Training Board and comprises an independent Chair and 16 members from relevant agencies and the local community.