In 2018 the Commission on the Future of Irish Policing made recommendations to government that community safety was not the sole responsibility of An Garda Síochána. A whole of government approach was required with the establishment of Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) in each local authority area. The partnerships would be underpinned by legislation, namely the Policing Security and Community Safety Act 2024.
To date there are 36 Local Community Safety Partnerships, one in each local authority area with five in Dublin City Council and two in Fingal. LCSPs are administered by local authorities and report to the National Office for Community Safety, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
Local Community Safety Partnerships have statutory functions as outlined in S116 (1) Policing Security and Community Safety Act 2024 such as the development of a 3-year Local Community Safety Plan for their respective local authority areas, and to act as a forum on community safety issues.
Partnerships will build on the work of the old Joint Policing Committees which are now repealed. The fundamental difference between the Joint Policing Committees and the LCSPs is that the latter are highly regulated, are subject to oversight from a National Office, have statutory functions on community safety issues, and consist of a much wider representation from the community and other key stakeholders. Each Partnership consists of 30 members, 7 County Councillors, a representative from An Garda Síochána, the HSE, TUSLA, the Local Authority and community organisations and residents.
Wexford Local Community Safety Partnership (Wex LCSP) was the first to be established in the country and held its inaugural meeting on the 30th September 2025. Mary Farrell was elected Chair and Cllr. Ger Carthy Vice-chair. Wex LCSP consists of 29 members with representatives across a broad range of the community. A full list of members, details of agenda items and minutes of meetings are listed at the links below.
This website will continue to be updated with the work of the Partnership in an open and transparent manner. Any queries please contact:
Liam O’ Donovan Community Safety Coordinator at communitysafety@wexfordcoco.ie