Minister announces £1.35m Community Safety funding

Community groups are set to receive a further £1.35 million over the next three years to support local safety schemes across Northern Ireland.

Speaking during a visit to the Belfast Community Safety Partnership, Criminal Justice Minister John Spellar announced the allocation, which will be used to support 24 projects in 15 district council areas. The funding will provide a major boost to efforts aimed at combating anti-social behaviour and crime, as well as reducing the fear of crime.

"The successful projects include schemes to support women, children and older people both through the provision of a range of services and by developmental programmes to counter crime and the fear of crime," the Minister said. "Other schemes will deal with town centre crime through radio link schemes and safer transport schemes.

"The release of this third round of funding for local community safety projects is a further commitment by Government to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in our society."

Mr Spellar said the announcement underpinned the implementation of the Community Safety Strategy launched in March last year.

The Strategy promotes working in partnership to tackle crime, the fear of crime and increasing anti-social behaviour in our communities, which makes people's lives a misery, particularly older people.

(MB)