More than €3m of criminal funds re-invested into 30 community safety projects

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said some of the themes in the 30 projects include initiatives aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour, supporting victims of sexual and domestic violence, promoting pro-social behaviour through education and sport, and supporting those hit by drug-related intimidation.

Thirty local projects around the country are receiving over €3 million, confiscated from criminal figures, to fund a range of community safety programmes.

The fund, set up in April 2021 by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, takes proceeds of crime seized and re-invests it in local initiatives with the aim of making communities safer.

The 30 projects include six across Munster, including a weapons awareness programme in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary and a homeless integration and outreach service in Cork City. A wide range of community safety initiatives are being funded, including in the sexual and domestic violence area; building relationships between the migrant communities and Gardaí; and sporting projects.

A number of drug projects are being funded, including the expansion of a service in Dublin city involving drug users engaged in crime, and drug-related trauma in Louth, Meath and Cavan.

“This fund reflects the continued successes of An Garda Síochána and the Criminal Assets Bureau seizing the ill-gotten gains of criminals,” Minister McEntee said. “That’s why I’m delighted that we have been able to increase the size of this fund to €3.75 million under Budget 2024.” 

The allocation to the Community Safety Innovation Fund is an increase of almost €1m on the previous year.

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Ms McEntee said some of the themes in the 30 projects include initiatives aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour, supporting victims of sexual and domestic violence, promoting pro-social behaviour through education and sport, and supporting those hit by drug-related intimidation.

The minister visited two of the projects on Monday, including The Esker Project in Athlone, which will receive around €1m for a domestic abuse community awareness and training project.

Ms McEntee also visited the ‘Be Safe in Your Space’ project, run by Cultúr Celebrating Diversity in Navan, Co. Meath, which tries to strengthen relationships between migrant communities and An Garda Síochána. A second such project being funded is the Acts of Compassion ethnic policing forum project in Dublin.

The six projects in Munster are:

• Waterford LEADER Partnership which will work with youth diversion projects in the southeast and provide vulnerable young people with a social/care farming placement;
• Waterford Local Community Safety Partnership which will run a ‘consent matters’ course;
• Cork Sexual Violence Centre which will set up a connect community hub;
• Cork Simon Community which will operate a social integration and outreach service;
• Moyross Development CLG which will set up a community safety weapons awareness programme in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary 
• Waterford Local Safety Partnership to hire new Community Safety Wardens 

The Family Addiction Support Network in Louth, Cavan and Meath is receiving monies to run a ‘Trauma in the Community’ project.

The Ana Liffey Drug Project in Dublin will expand its Law Engagement and Assisted Recovery project, operated with gardaí, to the Smithfield area.

Also in Dublin, the Inner City Organisations Network is being funded for a community safety response to child and human trafficking.