Drogheda Implementation Board welcome the announcement today, Monday 17th October, by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee that two community-based Drogheda projects will receive funding through the Community Safety Innovation Fund. Foróige secured funding for a two year alternative learning programme for young people aged 13-16; while the Red Door Project was successful with their project to establish a prison links programme, supporting people in addiction leaving the prison system to continue on their rehabilitation journey and be diverted from criminal activity. The Community Safety Innovation Fund was a competitive application process open to communities all across Ireland with 22 projects securing funding.
On publishing the Community Safety Innovation Fund today, Minister McEntee noted “Community Safety is about people being safe and, just as importantly, feeling safe within their communities. It’s vital that we empower our communities to proactively address concerns and build stronger and safer communities.
One of the objectives of this fund was to encourage the development of innovative ways to improve community safety from those people who best understand local community safety needs. Each project has detailed how best the community wants to prevent crime and their proposals reflect community priorities and local safety issues.
This fund reflects the successes of An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau in identifying and seizing the ill-gotten gains of criminals. Equally, people across Ireland are working tirelessly in their communities to prevent crime from taking hold and make their local areas safer.
“Working together, we will build stronger, safer communities. By putting this money back into the community, we can show that there is a direct link between the activities of law enforcement and improving community safety.”
Chair of the Drogheda Implementation Board, Michael Keogh, said “The Drogheda Report Implementation Plan called for demonstration to local communities in a visible and practical way that money and other resources seized from organised criminals is, in effect, used to provide funding for community and other services. The Community Safety Innovation Fund allows the good work of An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau in seizing the proceeds of criminal activity to be directed into community projects. Today’s announcement represents an investment of almost €250,000 for local community safety initiatives in Drogheda and we are delighted to congratulate both the Red Door and Foróige on their successful applications”
