Minister McEntee announces the formation of a new group to improve community safety in Ballymun

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee T.D. has announced that former Dublin GAA CEO John Costello will chair a new group to implement and co-ordinate supports for Ballymun.

The new Ballymun Implementation Board will tackle some of the deep-rooted issues which exist in the Ballymun area by bringing together the relevant social services providers and the Gardaí to work together with the community and local business leaders in a collaborative and effective manner, focusing on the matters of concern identified by the local community itself.

Speaking today, Minister McEntee said:

“Ballymun is a brilliant community and huge progress has been made in addressing the challenges it has faced in recent times. The creation of this new implementation group is a practical recognition by Government of the issues still faced by Ballymun and a commitment to bring stakeholders together to look at what actions are now needed.

When it comes to improving safety, different communities need different solutions. We want to empower the people on the ground to have a real say on what actions can be taken to help them feel safer. That is the entire premise of my approach to community safety.

The Ballymun Implementation Board will be based on the same interagency and community cooperation principles as utilised by the Drogheda, Darndale and Cherry Orchard Implementation Boards.

Announcing that Mr John Costello, former Dublin GAA Secretary and CEO has been appointed as the new independent chair of the Ballymun Implementation Board, the Minister said he would bring significant skills and experience to the role of Chair:

‘I am very grateful to John for taking on this role. Learnings from the existing implementation boards and Local Community Safety Partnerships have shown us that serious social issues are best addressed by bringing together a focused group of state and community organisations, chaired by someone who knows and understand the area. And having met with John just last week to discuss the work, I know that he is absolutely determined that that will be the case in Ballymun.”

The establishment of the Ballymun Implementation Board will be funded by Dublin City Council and the Department of Justice through existing resources.

Notes

The Ballymun Implementation Board will be hosted by Dublin City Council, and will include local representatives from the relevant agencies including:

• Local Authority Management;

• HSE;

• An Garda Síochána;

• Tusla;

• Probation Service;

• City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB)

• City of Dublin Education & Training Board (CDETB)

• 2 local community representatives;

• 2 local business leaders

• a representative from local primary level education;

• a representative from local secondary level education.

Membership of the group is expected to be finalised shortly and the first meeting of the Implementation Board will be held in the coming weeks.

ENDS