Some €600,000 has been allocated to the immediate creation of Joint Policing Committees on a pilot basis.
The schemes aim to increase community input into local policing; monitoring levels of crime and disorder and their underlying causes.
There will be 22 schemes of differing types run in Dublin city and Galway city; and in counties Offaly and Wicklow.
After a year, there will be a "speedy" review process to assess what changes may be needed.
The committees will be made up of Oireachtas members, local councillors, local authority officials, community and voluntary group leaders and Garda officers.
Minster for Justice Michael McDowell and Minister for Environment and Local Government Dick Roche announced the funding today at a media conference attended by Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy.
A set of guidelines for the committees developed after analysing similar schemes in Northern Ireland in particular, were also launched.
According to the guidelines, the issues likely to be considered by the committees are: traffic, vandalism, anti-social behaviour, underage drinking, casual trading, litter, planning for large events and crime prevention initiatives.
Mr McDowell said the schemes were a "radical new approach to policing".
"Not only is it democratically desirable that the community makes such an input but in addition, policing of our increasingly complex and societies requires such an input".
"An Garda Siochana supports this initiative very strongly, they want to have an input into local authority activities," Mr McDowell said.
Commissioner Conroy said: "It is about listening to problems on all sides and then finding a way together in solving those problems, be it local authorities, be it gardai or indeed the community."
Mr Roche said it was "an initiative that will pay dividends going forward".
Both ministers said that lessons would need to be learned and that all concerned should be willing to make changes as the need became apparent.
"This is a big vote of confidence for local representative who can bring their wealth of expertise on issues affecting the community," Mr Roche said.
The scheme is provided for under the Garda Siochana Act passed last year which also includes provision for community CCTV schemes.
It was also announced today that 13 CCTV schemes were to be installed in the coming months in 11 locations. They are: Limerick city, Waterford city, north Dublin, Ballinasloe, Athy, Drogheda, Tuam, Tralee, Sligo, Lettterkenny and Mallow.