The Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) is pleased to publish the Policing Priorities for An Garda Síochána for 2026-2028.
The three Priorities are:
Work in Partnership to meet Community Needs;
Provide a Consistent, Supportive and Quality Service; and,
Enable the Frontline.
These Priorities establish what An Garda Síochána should give the most attention to, to improve the policing services offered to communities and ensure their safety. There are specific key areas of focus and actions under each of the three Priorities that set out what success will look like for An Garda Síochána to deliver against them.
This includes key developments and improvements in areas such as:
Community Policing and the resourcing of Regular Units to improve services and visibility;
Responding, with partners, to mental health crises, drug-related intimidation, and other community safety issues;
Ensuring a focus on the policing services provided to, and engagement with, victims, children, and communities with heightened vulnerability; and,
The system and structures in place to support and enable the garda workforce to effectively deliver policing services to communities.
These Priorities and specific areas for improvement were set by the PCSA, as the independent oversight body, following significant engagement activity in 2025.
In line with legislation, they were then submitted to the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration for his approval and provided to the Garda Commissioner. The Commissioner is required to ensure that An Garda Síochána’s Strategic Plan 2026-2028 and the Annual Service Plans over the period are consistent with these Priorities.
Commenting on the launch of the Priorities, PCSA Chief Executive Helen Hall said:
“The launch of these statutory Policing Priorities is an important milestone in providing clarity and focus on the areas of policing that An Garda Síochána needs to focus on over the next three years. These are also the key areas that will focus our oversight activity on, to assess progress made by An Garda Síochána.
“The voices and views of those who deliver and receive policing services were critical to developing these Priorities. We would like to again express our thanks to the almost 4,000 people who engaged with the online survey in May and June 2025.
“We would also like to especially thank the hundreds of garda personnel, community representatives, and others that gave their time to meet us in person and speak with us on how to improve the policing services provided to all communities. Your suggestions and insights were invaluable as we developed the final Priorities.
“We look forward to engaging similarly with a wide variety of stakeholders as we oversee and assess progress against the Priorities.”
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, added:
“I am building a modern, efficient and transparent justice system. This is reflected in the system of oversight and governance that I introduced with the commencement of the Policing Security and Community Safety Act 2024, last April.
“Independence and inclusion are two cornerstones of the system. It is important that our policing priorities are set by an independent body, which were developed following a comprehensive and inclusive process.
“Our gardaí provide a range of vital services to the public, and we rely on them to protect our communities and keep people safe.
“These priorities will help ensure that An Garda Síochána remain focused on key areas where they can improve the policing services offered to communities.”
How we developed these priorities
An Garda Síochána provide a wide range of services to the public and there are huge demands on the organisation. However, not everything can be a priority, and these Priorities have been set in a context of:
The current resources available to An Garda Síochána – including members and staff, finance, technology, etc.;
The huge policing demand of Ireland holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026; and,
The wider socio-political and economic environment.
As such, the PCSA was aware in developing the Priorities that there would be tough choices to be made. So, we wanted to hear directly from communities and from personnel working in An Garda Síochána to see what they would most like to see included. To do this we:
Ran an online public consultation that received 3,794 responses;
Met more than 400 serving garda personnel across every county;
Engaged with experts and academics working in the policing and community safety field; and,
Held four regional events to hear directly from approximately 100 community stakeholder groups.
We considered the extensive feedback from these engagements, along with information gathered from: considering similar priorities from other countries; reviewing the performance of An Garda Síochána in recent years; and a range of other activities.
Following this process, the PCSA is confident that these Priorities identify the key areas for improvement to ensure that:
The service offered to communities is improved where improvements are most needed;
Garda personnel are enabled to provide this service to the best of their abilities; and,
They are also realistic and achievable with the resources available to An Garda Síochána.
The PCSA will oversee and assess the progress made by An Garda Síochána in delivering against these Priorities in the coming years.