Ballymena police and community partnership to share in £20 million investment

The money, which comes from existing Departmental resources and will be supplemented with monies recovered from criminal assets, will be invested over the next three years to fund regional projects and support the new Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) to address crime and fear of crime at a local level.

David Ford said: “This is a significant investment by my Department to implement this ambitious strategy and build safer, shared communities across Northern Ireland.

“That cannot be achieved by the Department of Justice working in isolation. For this strategy to succeed, we have to work in partnership with other government and statutory bodies, the voluntary and community sector and local business to deliver local solutions to local problems.”

The strategy was developed after extensive public consultation across Northern Ireland and the newly formed Policing and Community Safety Partnerships will have a central role to play in its implementation.

David Ford said: “The key to the success of the Strategy will be how it delivers for local communities. The new Policing and Community Safety Partnerships are key to taking the objectives of this strategy and transforming them into reality on the ground.

“Where PCSPs will deliver for local communities, my Department will develop regional action plans on the different strands of the strategy, including attacks on the elderly, interfaces and anti-social behaviour.”

The Strategy includes for the first time a strong emphasis on building shared communities.

David Ford said: “The legacy of division and segregation is still obvious in some communities, with physical barriers and interfaces providing a sense of security for families that live in their shadow.

“However, there is a strong appetite for change, and I am determined to build upon the great work done in recent months. We will work with local communities to move away from an approach that sees safety through separation to safety through sharing.”

In recent months, the Minister has visited a number of community projects across Northern Ireland which have developed local initiatives to tackle a range of issues including rural crime, anti-social behaviour and fear of crime.

The overall aim of the Strategy is to help build:

Safer communities, with lower levels of crime and anti-social behaviour;

Shared communities, where each person’s rights are respected in a shared and cohesive community; and

Confident communities, where people feel safe and have confidence in the agencies that serve them.

Eight action plans will be developed to deliver the strategy. These will focus on key strands of the strategy, including:

Alcohol and drugs - to reduce the level of alcohol and drugs related crime and support individuals who face substance misuse and addiction ;

Anti-social behaviour - to deliver targeted programmes regionally and locally to continue to reduce levels of anti-social behaviour in communities;

Business and rural crime - to reduce the opportunities to commit crime and make our town centres and rural communities safer;

Domestic violence and sexual violence - to provide prevention, protection and justice and support services for victims and their children;

Early interventions - to work across government and prevent young people from being drawn into offending;

Hate crime - to support communities through prevention, awareness and education and support for victims;

Interfaces - to seek local agreement with local communities to address community safety issues at interface areas;

Safety of older people - to reduce the fear of crime and help older and vulnerable people feel safer