Anger at calls for media ban at policing meetings - Kilkenny Live

A local councillor has slammed the proposed exclusion of the media from meetings of the newly-formed local community safety partnership, which sees elected officials raise and discuss matters with gardaí.

“My priority is that as many of the meetings as possible are held in public. I would not be happy if the vast majority of them were not held in public,” said Cllr Seán Ó hArgáin.

The safety partnership replaces the Joint Policing Committee, which was dedicated forum to support consultation, cooperation, and synergy on policing and crime issues between gardaí, local authority officials, elected representatives, and the community and voluntary sectors.

Under guidelines published by the Department of Justice it states that Local Community Safety Partnerships may facilitate attendance by the media at their discretion and via request to the chair.

The guidelines make media attendance discretionary and recommend that in the first year of the new structure three of the six scheduled meetings of the 36 partnerships should be held in private.

“There might be certain situations occasionally where they may be issues that would requires the meetings to be in committee. However I think our work should be done in public except in exceptional circumstances,” added Cllr Ó hArgáin.

The National Union of Journalists has called on the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan to urgently amend the guidelines.