Minister of State Niall Collins addresses meeting of the National Rural Safety Forum

Minister of State at the Department of Justice Niall Collins T.D. attended his first meeting of the National Rural Safety Forum in Portlaoise today. The Forum is a partnership between the IFA, An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice, and comprises a dedicated and varied group of people and organisations with a common purpose of enhancing rural safety.

The Forum’s meeting focused on the development of a new Rural Safety Plan. Building on Ireland’s first Rural Safety Plan 2022-2024, the new strategy will cover a wide array of safety issues, such as, roads policing, burglary and theft, and anti-social behaviour.

Addressing the meeting, Minister Collins said,

“Keeping rural Ireland safe is not just a policy aim — it is a shared responsibility, and a vital part of our commitment to a fair and inclusive society.

“Tackling rural crime is absolutely a priority for the government and the best way for us to address concerns around all types of crime is by recruiting more Gardaí.

“I want to commend An Garda Síochána and its members for the relentless work they do providing crime prevention advice and in tackling residential burglaries, including in rural areas, where we have seen huge successes with Operation Thor.”

The Rural Safety Plan sits within a larger multi-faceted approach to keep Ireland safe. The recently commenced Policing Security and Community Safety Act will see the establishment of Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSP) across the country.

Each newly-established Local Community Safety Partnership will be required to develop and implement its own tailored community safety plan. This will ensure a strategic approach, so that issues can be directly addressed by service providers in partnership with the community.

The National Rural Safety Forum will meet quarterly during 2025 to continue its work to develop Ireland’s second national Rural Safety Plan.

Minister Collins added:

“The vision of the next Rural Safety Plan is to ensure people and communities in rural Ireland feel safe and are safe in their homes, places of work, and their local environments.

“The Government and all members of the Forum are fully committed to the multiagency, collaborative approach required to achieve this vision.

“I look forward to meeting with members of the Forum on an ongoing basis to develop the next plan further.”

Ends.

Notes for editors

Programme for Government commitments

• Publish a new Rural Safety Strategy and support An Garda Síochána to expand successful approaches to tackling rural crime.
• Establish Community Safety Partnerships and increase the Community Safety Innovation Fund to support the national roll-out.
• 5,000 new Gardaí over the next five years.
• Expand the Garda Reserve to 2,000 and increase the number of Garda staff to 4,000.