Of the 18 targets contained in the Policing Plan 2025, by the end of the year, 10 were reported by An Garda Síochána as being ‘on-target’, Seven targets were reported as being ‘at-risk’ and one was reported as ‘off-target’ (in the area of community engagement).

P.5 Community safety

• Notable progress has been made in the development of a community engagement policy and principles, due to be finalised by the end of 2026. This is a significant step towards a clear articulation of what community policing is and how it is undertaken within An Garda Siochána. This is critical in the context of the changed policing landscape and the changing composition of Irish society.
• There has been significant engagement and investment by An Garda Síochána in supporting and participating in the Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs). A new support office has been set up by the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau to support those Superintendents who are members of the LCSPs and to encourage consistency of approach by An Garda Síochána across the country,
• The target to complete a Garda National Children and Younger Person’s Plan was not achieved. This plan will be important in informing the approach to the range of areas in which children and young people come into contact with An Garda Síochána, as victims, witnesses, suspects and members of the public. Examples of these areas include drug related intimidation, the schools programme and engaging with children who are neurodiverse.
• The Customer Relations Management (CRM) tool, which is expected to enable community engagement activities to be documented is still not in place.

Crime

• There is continued success in identifying, targeting and disrupting organised crime, with large amounts of drugs, cash and weapons being seized. This is assisted by high levels of international cooperation between the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), Europol and other police services.
• Challenges in addressing Drug-Related Intimidation (DRI) and the grooming of children and young people into organised and drug crime remain a significant problem in 2025 and continues to require an effective and comprehensive response which An Garda Síochána has a crucial role in developing.
• The introduction of High Visibility Patrols (HVP) in Dublin, while providing increased visibility has also proven effective in terms of gathering intelligence on local crime groups, with collaborative work between the different arms of the organisation.
• There has been some positive progress in terms of the capacity of An Garda Síochána to prevent and respond to cyber-crime.
• The capacity of An Garda Síochána to prevent and respond to corruption, fraud and other economic crime types remains a challenge, with the Hamilton Report which relates to the required resourcing of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) still not addressed over five years later. Ongoing challenges in the recruitment and retention of skilled personnel to both GNECB and the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) remain.
• There has been a 75% drop in burglaries since the introduction of Operation Thor in 2015. However, Retail Theft continues to rise and is a major contributor (40%) to the numbers of recorded crimes against the person. This has seen a particular rise in Dublin, despite the introduction of high visibility patrols in the city centre.

P.16 Policing Plan Targets
Work in partnership to develop sustainable solutions to address community safety concerns, including the harm caused by drugs
Engage across all communities to deliver a policing service that understands and responds to the diverse needs of society
Work with partners to enhance multi-disciplinary and ‘whole of service’ approach to keeping people safe (enabler 2.1)

P.17 The first policing priority target is assessed as off-target, due to:
✗ The lack of a completed Garda National Children and Younger Person’s Plan. It is reported that it is expected in Q2 2026. The PCSA understands that there are still parts of the organisation that have considerable engagement with young people and children, but that have yet to contribute to the plan. These include for example the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB). Given the scale of young people involved in the drugs industry and their inherent vulnerability, the PCSA regards GNDOCB as important contributors to the plan. Indeed, the PCSA noted in the past its hope that the development of this plan will see contributions from a wide range of stakeholders, including those within the organisation. A second aspect that the Authority expects to see in the plan concerns neurodiversity and what training will be provided to garda members to support their engagement with neurodiverse young people, as well as recognising the importance of trauma informed approaches. The Authority also expects the plan to include the issue of drug-related intimidation (DRI), which often includes children and young people.
✗ The Customer Relations Management (CRM) tool, which is expected to enable community engagement activities to be documented - whether executed by regular gardaí or community policing gardaí - has not been put in place. In discussions with the Garda National Community Engagement Bureau (GNCEB), the rationale and importance of such a tool has been reaffirmed. Notwithstanding the above, there have been a number of positive developments in 2025 under this priority.

These include:
✓ The launch of two new JARC (Joint Agency Response to Crime) pilot sites in the Wexford/ Wicklow Division. This is a strategic multi-agency initiative to reduce crime, reduce risk or harm caused by offenders, reduce the negative impact offenders have on communities, and improve community safety.
✓ The contribution made by An Garda Síochána as a stakeholder in the development of a new National Drug Strategy.
✓ The new approach to the development of a community engagement policy and principles, led by the GNCEB. The Community Policing Framework was paused in 2024. In 2025, the Bureau commenced an extensive review of the Community Policing Policy, taking into consideration the changed policing landscape and the changing composition of Irish society. The Bureau, and indeed An Garda Síochána generally, has acknowledged that a framework with a ‘one size fits all’ approach is no longer appropriate. Therefore, a new approach will be embedded in the revised Community Policng Policy. It is expected that this will focus on increased autonomy for garda divisions to respond to needs within their communities while operating within a strong framework of expected outcomes. The work around the revision of the policy is expected to be finalised by the end of 2026. The PCSA sees this as a significant step towards a clear articulation of what community policing is and how it is undertaken within An Garda Síochána. 

P.20 The operational work carried out in 2025 by GNDOCB in conjunction with partners across Revenue, Customs and divisional drug units was strong, particularly in respect of tackling importation of drugs and possession of drugs for sale and supply.
Table 2: Monetary values of seizures conducted by An Garda Síochána, 2025 Seizure Type 2025 - Illicit Drugs: €126,013,780. Arrests for Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering, Firearms and Kindred Offences: 165

P.22 Drug Related Intimidation (DRI) remains an area of concern for the PCSA. The existence of and participation of An Garda Síochána in initiatives such as the Drug Related Intimidation and Violence Engagement (DRIVE) programme, the National Drugs Strategy (NDS) and diversion mechanisms from the criminal justice system is significant. However, consideration of the vulnerability of young people to grooming by criminal gangs in certain communities and the policing response to that must remain a core consideration to improving community safety. In engagement with garda members and communities, the prevalence of DRI and the reluctance of families to engage with the divisional DRI Inspector for fear of retaliation by drug dealers frequently arises. It is for this reason that the PCSA would emphasise the need for engagement with and inclusion of these issues within the Children and Young Person’s Plan. Members of the GNDOCB who are dealing with many of the children in this sphere will arguably have significant experience to contribute to the formulation of the plan...