Date: 20 Nov 2025
Establishment of the new Donegal Local Community Safety Partnership
Donegal Local Community Safety Partnership held its first meeting on Monday 17th November 2025 and the new chairperson is Cllr. Gerry Mc Monagle and Vice Chair is Mr. Joe Boland.
The Partnership requires all relevant state bodies and voluntary organisations to work together in a joined-up way in partnership with the local community to prioritise and address community safety issues in their own area. This new partnership approach is being introduced to encourage greater community participation and empowerment, involving all sections of the community working together to foster greater feelings and experiences of safety in local communities throughout Donegal.
Funded by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Donegal Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) will be responsible for bringing all the relevant state services and the community together at local authority level and will play a pivotal role in addressing some of the challenges facing communities across the county.
The Partnership’s function will be to act as a forum for discussion, develop local community safety plans every three years, host the public consultation process for Local Community Safety Plans, implement local community safety plans, monitor and review plan implementation, collaborate with stakeholders, provide views on local policing plans, host public meetings, establish Local Community Safety Fora as well as reporting to the National Office for Community Safety.
New LCSP Chairperson Cllr Gerry Mc Monagle has said he looks forward to overseeing the important work of the Partnership and the development of the Donegal Community Safety Action Plan in 2026. This action plan will prioritise identified issues through a public consultation process that need addressed to enhance Community Safety in the County.
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan T.D. said:
“I am extremely pleased that the Donegal Local Community Safety Partnership has been established, and its first meeting has taken place. This marks another significant step on the rollout of these partnerships nationwide and this government’s new approach to community safety.”
“The next step for this Partnership is to develop and implement its own, tailored community safety plan. The National Office of Community Safety based in my department, will be on-hand to support the Partnership as it begins its important work.”
“I’d like to thank everyone involved in Donegal LCSP for being part of this significant new chapter in community safety. I look forward to following their progress.”
Donegal County Council’s Chief Executive Mr. John G. Mc Laughlin has said that he very much welcomes the establishment of the LCSP and looks forward to the Council’s full participation in the Partnership as administrative support and as full members at executive and elected member level.
The work of the Partnership going forward will be to identify local issues as they arise while having input to the National Strategy for Improving Community Safety which when approved by Government will lead to the formation of the Donegal Local Community Safety Action plan. This action plan when adopted by the Partnership will have prioritised actions to be delivered upon during the Partnership’s three-year term.
