The Policing and Community Safety Partnership has been hit by 50% budget cuts.
Speaking today, the Chairman of the Newry, Mourne and Down Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), Councillor Mickey Larkin congratulated Dan McEvoy on his appointment as Vice-Chairperson to the PCSP, but both officers, the Chair and Vice Chair, voiced their concerns about the savage budget cuts slashing the funding for the Partnership in half.
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Dan McEvoy, left, is conragtulated by PCSP Chairman Cllr Mickey Larkin on being selected to the position of Vice Chair of the PCSP. Both officers of the PCSP are opposing the 50% cuts to the budget.[/caption]
Both inbdicated that this would hopefully be reversed or amended in the near future as these severe funding cuts would hamper any work needed across the new district of Newry Mourne and Down.
PCSP Chair Cllr Mickey Larkin said: “We are all aware we are living in a time of cuts and austerity. However, for a Partnership with a remit for community safety as well as expanded geographic responsibilities covering from Saintfield to Crossmaglen to have been hit by a huge 50% cut and that we are still expected to deliver services to keep people safe and address fear of crime and anti-social behaviour is unacceptable”
Newly elected Vice-Chair, Mr Dan McEvoy added” “The Partnership, bringing together the excellent work of both legacy council PCSP’s developed a number of projects to address community safety issues, and many of these such as ASB interventions, community wardens, strategies to address street drinking and drugs and alcohol generally will not now be possible to roll out”
The Newry Mourne and Down Policing and Community Safety Partnership will be rolling out and supporting a reduced programme of actions to reduce and address anti-social behaviour and fear of crime such as the locks and bolts scheme, telephone support network, domestic and sexual violence, hate crime, road safety, burglary and rural crime.
Walker Expresses Concerns About PCSP Cuts
Rowallene Councillor Billy Walker, a former Down PCSP member, said he was deeply concerned at the cuts imposed on the new council area PCSP. He said: “I have always been a string advocate of the PCSP and its role in our society. I am very disappointed the the level of cuts that have been impose coming from MInister Ford’s Department of Justice.
“The old PCSP’s were very effective and took head on the issues of anti-social behaviour, burglaries fear of crime etc and particularly violence towards old people.
“A lot of PCSP’s will have to tighten their belts and cut their programmes drastically. In the longer term, this will have a negative impact I predict. I think there will be a rise in ASB and crime generally. That will have undermined the great work the old PCSP’s have done.
“To be honest, the new councils have been sold a pup by the politicians at Stormont. Ordinary councillors can’t now attend Policing Board meetings and challenge senior police officials. I attended all the old PCSP meetings and found them very open and accountable and transparent and they worked well. What we have now is a closed system even I as a non-member can’t access at meetings.
“These cuts simply can’t be passed on to the ratepayer. It is the job of central government to fund the PCSP’s. To cite another poignant example of the double standards of central government, local councils are being forced to take over all the old DOE car parks – it cost millions to upgrade and maintain them. Who is paying for this? Central government is just passing the buck and giving us no funding to support these sorts of programmes. It is very disconcerting and many councillors across Northern Ireland in all parties share my concerns.”
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Newry, Mourne and Down Policing and Community Safety Partnership
Working to help make communities safer and to ensure the voices of local people are heard on policing and community safety issues , the PCSP aims to empower communities to work in partnership to develop solutions that will help tackle crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour.
The PCSP is made up of 10 Councillors and 9 Independent members as well as representatives from the PSNI, NIFRS, Housing Executive, Youth Justice Agency , PBNI, EANI, Southern Health and Social Care Trust and South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. The current Chair is Cllr Mickey Larkin, and recently elected Vice Chair is Dan McEvoy. Joint Committee
The Joint Committee was established to oversee the work of the Policing and Community Safety Partnerships. It consists of representatives of the Department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
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