Funding secured to make neighbourhoods safer

NEIGHBOURHOOD Watch (NW) groups across the Banbridge District are set to receive a boost to their activities to make their local communities safer.

New and existing groups will be able to benefit through funding secured by Banbridge District Policing Partnership (DPP), Banbridge District Community Safety Partnership (CSP) and PSNI Banbridge Area.

Each year, central NW funding is announced and the local partners who administer NW at a Council area level - namely the DPP, the CSP and the PSNI – have to bid for this funding. For the Banbridge District, it’s recently been confirmed that for 2011-2012, just under £3,000 of central funding has been secured to promote and support local NW schemes.

In addition, the PSNI ‘E’ District NW link officer Sgt Wendy Walker, has secured additional funding for ‘Meet and Greet’ events for new and existing NW Co-ordinators across the four Council areas covered by ‘E’ District.

The date for the Banbridge District NW Co-ordinators event has been scheduled for Tuesday 15th November 2011 – this will be an evening event and the venue is to be confirmed, but please mark this date in your diaries.

If you’re interested in helping to set up a NW scheme to cover the area where you live, or need advice/support for organising activities for an existing NW scheme, please contact any of the local partner agencies: Banbridge DPP – 028 4062 0245; Banbridge District CSP – 028 4062 0246; or PSNI Banbridge Area – 0845 600 8000 (Banbridge and Gilford Area: Sgt Billy Stewart ext 38092 or Dromore and Rathfriland Area: Sgt Paul Ferguson ext 44481)