To ask the Minister of Justice for his assessment of the outcomes of the Community Safety Strategy; Fear of Crime Strategic Action Plan 2012-14.

Crimes against older people are relatively rare with three in 1000 people aged 60+ becoming victims of offences of violence against the person in 2013/14. However, the fear of crime can have a negative impact on quality of life for older people, and a great deal has been done through the multi-agency delivery group to address this issue.

The Fear of Crime Strategic Action Plan 2012-14 sets out actions being taken by my Department and delivery partners in relation to reducing fear of crime and helping older and vulnerable people feel safer as outlined in the Community Safety Strategy 2012-2017.

When the Justice Committee approved this Action Plan in January 2013 it was agreed that a progress report would be provided after twelve months. The first progress report was provided to the Justice Committee for its meeting on 20 February 2014. A copy of this report, which sets out what was achieved in 2013-14 against agreed Community Safety Strategy outcomes and what was planned for 2014-15, is available on the Department of Justice website:

www.dojni.gov.uk/justice-committee-paper-community-safety-strategy-progress-reports

The second progress report on the Action Plan, demonstrating what was achieved in 2014-15, is due to be submitted to the Justice Committee in March and a copy will be made available on the Departmental website.