Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has said the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau has arrested more than 200 people in the past year.
The bureau also seized over €36 million worth of drugs and a range of firearms including assault rifles and pistols as part of the programme to protect communities from harm.
Ms O'Sullivan said organised crime remains the Garda's number one priority and that the communities worst affected by it in no way support it.
She told the Policing Authority that the fear of crime was palpable, particularly in rural areas.
The Commissioner said that even if people did not see gardaí that did not mean they were not there because a lot of "invisible" policing is happening along with high visibility policing.
The Policing Authority is for the first time publicly questioning the Garda Commissioner about An Garda Síochána's performance in relation to community safety.
The nine members of the authority are examining the area of community policing with regard to the force's policing plan, which promised to improve public safety and high-visibility roads policing.
The authority was told that An Garda Síochána intends to establish community policing teams which will encompass uniformed gardaí and detectives.
Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey said these programmes are being rolled out "incrementally" throughout 2016.
The authority was also told that gardaí are conducting surveys to measure the fear of crime and are aware that some groups and communities have higher levels of fear of crime.
Disillusioned gardaí feel betrayed by govt - GRA
Senior gardaí told the authority that they put new policing measures in place to compensate for the closure of Garda stations.
Deputy Commissioner Donal O Cualáin said these included a higher visibility presence, more mobile patrols and Garda clinics in rural areas.
He said in the West of Ireland, the region he was previously in charge of, there had been "a trouble free transition" in areas where stations had closed.
Mr O Cualáin said these alternative methods of policing meant gardaí were more proactive in engaging with the communities rather than sitting behind desks in stations waiting for people to come in.
Detailed policing plans are in place to deal with the consumption of alcohol in public with Deputy Commissioner Twomey telling the authority that the problem starts becoming more acute now and into the summer months.
He said gardaí will be targeting the areas it occurs all over the country particularly seaside areas.
Operation Irene has been established to target underage drinking
In relation to anti-social behavior, Assistant Commissioner Jack Nolan said there were a number of programmes in place to deal with it including school visits, youth diversion programmes, late night soccer leagues and engagement with the local authorities.
