Proceeds of crime to be used to make #NorthInnerCity communities safer

The announcement by Justice Minister, Helen McEntee T.D. that the proceeds of crime will be used to fund community safety projects under a new Government initiative is to be welcomed.

This initiative will see the proceeds of crime seized by state agencies being channeled into community safety programmes. It will be a hugely positive step in making communities safer all here in the North Inner City but across Ireland too. I commend the work of my Fine Gael colleagues, Neale Richmond T.D. and Councillor Kenneth Egan who have liaised with and worked closely with Minister McEntee so that legislation is enacted to ring-fence seized cash for use in a Community Safety Innovation Fund.

As Deputy Richmond said earlier this week:

“Cash seized by state agencies has been on the rise for some years now, and rather than return this money to the exchequer for general spending, channeling it to the communities that need it the most to help them prevent crime from taking place will allow us to use the proceeds of crime to make our communities safer.

Under this plan, a Community Safety Innovation Fund will be established from which local community safety partnerships can apply for funding in order to bring together residents, community representatives, Councillors, businesses and state services such as the Gardaí to design and implement local community safety plans.”

I firmly believe that this can be a truly community-led initiative that will enable those on the ground, who know their area best to work together in a collegiate way that can help make the communities of the North Inner City a safer place for all of us who live here.

Organised crime has had a hugely detrimental impact on communities all over Ireland, tearing families apart and causing irreparable damage. Indeed, we have seen firsthand on all too many occasions the evidence of this. While our Gardai and the Criminal Assets Bureau do stellar work in ensuring that crime does not pay, this is a crucial step in preventing young people from turning to crime in the first instance.

Through the establishment of this initiative, Fine Gael in Government, is not only reaffirming our commitment to supporting the communities of the North Inner City, but we are also protecting generations to come.