Policing body to get cash after all

Policing body to get cash after all

25 November 2015

THE local Police and Community Safety Partnership has welcomed the reversal of a 50 per cent budget cut.

Along with Policing and Community Safety Partnerships across Northern Ireland, the Newry Mourne and Down PCSP was told to prepare for the cut back in September, putting vital anti-social behaviour and community safety projects at risk.

Originally told back in January that it could expect funding of £413,000 for the 2015/16 financial year, by autumn it had received an offer of £206,766.

This week, the local PCSP gave a cautious welcome to the funding restoration of £1.5m to funding PCSPs across Northern Ireland.

“The Newry Mourne and Down PCSP is obviously delighted that the Department of Justice has reinstated funding, which we persistently called for over the past number of months,” said a spokeswoman. “However the PCSP would continue to be concerned by the manner in which the funding cut was handled. 

“A lot of planning and preparation went to developing a comprehensive 12 month action plan for the area only to have the funding cut just as work was about to commence so we have a lot of time to make up. 

“However we are committed to the community safety needs of our area and will continue to work towards that goal.”

The Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) also welcomed the announcement.

NILGA President, Alderman Carla Lockhart, said: “This securing of £1.5m, previously taken out for Policing and Community Safety Partnerships, is an encouraging step forward. But there is still some way to go in addressing the full level of cuts thrust on to councils and the whole sustainability of PCSPs in the future.

“NILGA will be meeting the Justice Minister in the coming weeks to take forward this crucial issue on behalf of councils. We want to present the Minister with combined economic and community impact reports regarding the resources lost to PCSPs and hope that Minister Ford explores with local government the investment and resourcing opportunities for PCSPs for the longer term, plus the redeployment of budgets from central government’s machinery to the local council where it will have much more community impact.”

Answering a recent Assembly question on the issue, Justice Minister, David Ford said that, in addition to the £1.5m, he had been able to allocate nearly £117,000 of Priority Youth Intervention funding for projects aimed at disaffected young people who are at risk of involvement in violence and criminal activity.

“Also in 2015, PCSPs have been successful in accessing approximately £199,000 from my Department’s Assets Recovery Community Scheme,” he said. “This is money which has been taken out of the hands of criminals and returned to the community to fund a wide range of community safety initiatives including youth diversionary and education and awareness projects.

“I will soon be inviting PCSPs to bid again for Assets Recovery funding for local community safety project delivery in 2016-17.”