Fine Gael has called for local authorities to be allowed to supervise and question policing activities in their areas to help heal the rift it says is growing between the public and the Garda Síochána.
The party's justice spokesman, Mr John Deasy, said yesterday that senior gardaí and other agencies should be compelled to attend regular public meetings with local authority members, at which they would be questioned about Garda activity.
This would "bring back a sense of ownership to a public that is fast becoming disenfranchised with our criminal justice system".
He said this would also allow the Garda and other groups to challenge local and national government on issues of relevance to them.
He was not advocating that councillors make decisions on policing activities, but that they get to discuss and question them.
He said that even though gardaí still enjoy the support of a majority of citizens, "increasingly people are extremely disappointed with their dealings with the force. Many simply don't bother to report less serious crimes any longer.
"The other side to this is that gardaí are working in a changed, more hostile environment.
"They have genuine manpower and resource issues, and are increasingly fighting rearguard actions in large urban areas where organised crime is on the increase."
Mr Deasy said in many areas there were not active working relationships between local authority members and gardaí, "and many public representatives are hesitant to even question the Garda.
"As a consequence, real accountability within the force has suffered, increasing the public's sense of alienation."
There had been much recent public attention paid to the proposed Garda Ombudsman. "However, the efficiency and effectiveness of mundane, day-to-day policing matters are of more concern to the general public.
"A Garda Ombudsman's office is important, but has little relevance to people when their car window is smashed, when their house is burgled or when their child is beaten up. They want results from the Garda. Increasingly, however, the public are becoming more and more unhappy with the responsiveness of the police force."
While local representatives should be able to question the Garda about policing arrangements, the Garda should be able to question local authorities about matters such as housing policy.
"Unless every entity with responsibility in these areas start working together and start questioning each other's methods, crime levels in our communities will continue to remain high."