Justice Plan 2023 published

Then-Minister for Justice Simon Harris TD and Minister of State James Browne TD published Justice Plan 2023 in April 2023, setting out 140 headline actions with the aim “to continue building stronger, safer communities”.

Justice Plan 2023 is the third in a series of annual plans, with its 2021 and 2022 counterparts having been brought to government and published by the since-returned Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD. The annual plans contain within them objectives and actions designed to deliver upon the strategic goals set out in the Department of Justice’s Statement of Strategy 2021-2023, which contains a focus on ensuring a “safe, fair, and inclusive Ireland”.

Progress reports will be published throughout the plan’s lifespan, one at the midway point, and another at its end. The plan contains five overarching strategic goals, three of which contain some relevance to the future of policing:

• tackle crime, enhance national security, and transform policing;
• strengthen community safety, reduce reoffending, support victims, and combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence; and
• accelerate innovation, digital transformation, and climate action across the justice sector.

Tackle crime, enhance national security, and transform policing

Actions under this strategic goal are grouped around six objectives: developing a “leading edge and accountable policing service” through the implementation of A Policing Service for the Future; delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the operation of the criminal justice system; combatting cybercrime; strengthening measure to tackle terrorism and other serious and organised crime through domestic action and international cooperation; reforming, reviewing, and modernising criminal law and procedure; and ensuring strong governance in all bodies across the criminal justice sector.

Three of the headline actions under this strategic goal concern legislation, the first of which is passing the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas. At the time of writing, the Bill – aimed at strengthening both external oversight and internal governance of An Garda Síochána – sits at the Dáil Éireann Third Stage. The plan also pledges to support the enactment of the Recording Devices Bill, which has passed the Dáil Second Stage but not yet entered the Third Stage. Further powers for the Criminal Assets Bureau aimed at ensuring it “remains a world leader in seizing ill-gotten gains” are also pledged under the Crime Amendment Bill 2023.

Other notable aims under this goal include increasing the maximum sentence for assaulting a peace officer to 12 years, supporting legislation to increase sentences for assault causing harm, conspiracy to murder, and the creation of stand-alone offences for stalking and non-fatal strangulation. Further investment for An Garda Síochána is also pledged to “drive recruitment, fund new stations and infrastructure, such as the new Garda plane”.

In terms of recruitment, which resumed in 2022, the plan states that the State now has a “steady stream of recruits entering the college [The Garda College in Templemore, County Tipperary] every 11 weeks” and that Budget 2023 has provided funding to allow for the recruit of up to 1,000 new gardaí in 2023. It is said within the plan that this increased recruitment will support the rollout of the new Garda operating model, which “introduces major changes to the structures of An Garda Síochána by providing more front-line Gardaí, increased Garda visibility, and a wider range of policing services for people in their local area”.

Strengthen community safety, reduce reoffending, support victims, and combat domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence

“Substantial reforms” are committed to under this strategic goal in order to meet commitments on strengthening community safety, reducing reoffending, diverting young people from crime, supporting victims, and combatting domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence.

The continued implementation of Zero Tolerance, the national strategy to tackle such violence, is among the key actions under this strategic goal, along with a commitment to “work to remove the legal barriers that prevent domestic violence victims from remaining in their homes and examine how to allow An Garda Síochána issue removal orders to take offenders out of the home in high risk cases”. Also pledged is the publication of a new human trafficking action plan and preparation for the national rollout of new Community Safety Partnerships in 2024.
The establishment of a task force to improve education and upskilling across the criminal justice system is also pledged. The programme will start with prison education and will consider youth justice issues, agree a work programme, and be co-chaired at the ministerial level in the Department of Justice and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science.

Accelerate innovation, digital transformation and climate action across the justice sector

Most relevant to the future of policing under this strategic goal is the commitment to “dramatically increase” digital services throughout the entire justice sector, which is cited as a key action in the modernisation of An Garda Síochána. Actions to be undertaken in 2023 under this goal include the commencement of a project that allows for the automated transfer of relevant court list data from the Courts Service to An Garda Síochána, to be concluded in Q2 2024.

Speaking upon the launch of the plan, then-Minister Harris said: “This plan contains an ambitious number of actions to be achieved over the course of the year as we work to continue to build stronger, safer communities that will make a real difference for people in Ireland in both the short and long term.

“A key priority will be to continue to support An Garda Síochána in protecting our communities from crime through increased resources and a stronger and more diverse Garda service. We will invest in recruitment, training and technology and progress new legislation to help An Garda Síochána as they do their vital job protecting us.”