2325. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on his Department's efforts to fulfil the Programme for Government commitments regarding community safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61686/26]

2340. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the key measures taken to tackle crime and improve community safety nationally since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61633/26]

2341. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the key measures taken to tackle crime and improve community safety in Dublin city centre since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61631/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2325, 2340 and 2341 together.

This Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities across the country.

The Garda Vote in Budget 2026 includes unprecedented funding of €2.74 billion which will support the continued recruitment of Garda personnel.

This will ensure that the Commissioner has additional resources to deploy to divisions nationwide. It will also support the expansion of the High Visibility Policing Plan introduced in Dublin City Centre in March 2025, which has since been rolled out to Cork, Limerick City Centres, Galway City Centre and Salthill, as well as areas of South Dublin, including Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire.

An Garda Síochána introduced a High Visibility Policing (HPV) Plan in Dublin City Centre (North Central, Store Street and South Central and Pearse Street Garda Community Engagement Areas) in March 2025.

During the period from April 2025 to March 2026, there were nearly 6,500 arrests made, over 13,500 charges/summonses and over 1,000 Adult Cautions/ Juvenile Diversion Referrals. The operation coincided with a 23% drop in theft, a 33% reduction in robbery from the person, and assaults causing harm were down by 18%.

The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which I commenced in April 2025, provides for the establishment of 36 Local Community Safety Partnerships (Safety Partnerships) within each local authority area. I have appointed members to all 36 of these Safety Partnerships.

The Safety Partnerships bring together a broad range of relevant stakeholders to address community safety issues in their area, including residents, community representatives, business and education representatives, local councillors, and a range of public services including senior representatives of the HSE, Tusla, An Garda Síochána and the local authority.

Each local partnership is responsible for developing a tailored and prioritised plan specific to that area in conjunction with the community and the relevant public services. Safety Partnerships leverage local and national policies, planning and funding to ensure service delivery is aligned with local needs. Drawing together the collective resources of partners at the table, they will ensure interventions are delivered proactively by the service best placed to deliver it and in a joined up, integrated way with other services. Many of these Safety Partnerships, including the five in Dublin City Centre have already undertaken consultation with their community in preparation for developing local community safety plans.

The National Office for Community Safety, an office of my Department, is providing support and guidance to Safety Partnerships in the performance of their functions and to monitor the implementation of local community safety plans. It is also a statutory function of the National Office to commission research and evaluations relating to the operation of Safety Partnerships. Such monitoring and evaluations will be guided by the strategic pillars of the National Strategy for Improving Community Safety. This strategy is currently being finalised following public consultation, ensuring our research is evidence-led and responsive to the safety concerns of communities across Ireland.

I am very pleased that this Government has, in recent years, significantly increased the funding for youth justice initiatives. The budget allocation for Youth Justice measures has almost doubled from 2020 to 2026. Following a significant increase of €7.3 million in additional core exchequer funding as part of Budget 2026, the total allocation for youth justice measures is now €43 million.

There are currently 92 Youth Diversion Projects and 4 Targeted Youth Diversion Projects across the country that are co-funded by my Department and the European Union. With these funds, these projects employ dedicated youth justice workers who respond daily to the needs of young people across the country.

With the official opening of POINT Youth Diversion Project on 18 June, Youth Diversion is available to all children and young people across the country.

The Programme for Government commits to publishing a Retail Crime Strategy with targeted actions to reduce retail crime and support affected businesses. Work on the Strategy is well advanced and I expect to receive a draft in the coming weeks for detailed consideration. I look forward to engaging with its proposed objectives, priorities and recommendations to ensure that the final Strategy reflects the priorities of the Government and the needs of retailers, workers and communities. The Government intends to publish the Strategy within the next few months.

The Community Safety Fund (CSF) redirects proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and An Garda Síochána back into communities. Applications to the CSF are invited from community safety initiatives as well as groups co-funded with local authorities, NGOs and community organisations working on issues relevant to community safety and youth justice.

On 13 April 2026, I announced the opening of this year’s funding call of €4.75 million for the CSF. This is a significant increase since the initial allocation of €2 million in 2022. This call closed on 18 May 2026 and successful projects will be announced later this year.

The Fund has supported 127 community safety projects to date all across Ireland.

Putting this money back into the community is a tangible way of showing that there can be a direct link between the activities of law enforcement and building stronger, safer communities.