To ask the Minister of Justice how his Department assesses (i) levels of crime against older people; and (ii) fear of crime amongst older people; and how he is working with statutory agencies, arm’s-length bodies and groups within the community, voluntary and charity sectors to address this issue.

My Department developed and leads on the implementation of Building Safer, Shared and Confident Communities: A Community Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland 2012-2017.

The Strategy has a set of associated action plans, including a dedicated fear of crime action plan detailing the measures which a multi-agency Older Persons Delivery Group is taking forward to reduce the fear of crime amongst older and vulnerable people.

Membership of the Group comprises representatives from various statutory bodies across the justice family including PSNI, Policing and Community Safety Partnerships, and the Northern Ireland Policing Board. Other statutory bodies represented include Health and Social Care Board, the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister, and the Department of the Environment.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland recorded crime figures, where a victim is aged 60+, are monitored by the Group. The Group also considers the Northern Ireland Crime Survey findings for respondents over 60 in relation to their feelings about crime and their fear of crime.

In addition to the representatives detailed above, Age Sector Platform, a voluntary sector organisation which lobbies for the rights of older people, also holds membership of the Group. My Department had previously funded this organisation to carry out research into why older people are so fearful of becoming a victim of crime, even though the statistics show that this is unlikely. My Department is currently funding Age Sector Platform to build on this research, taking forward engagement with older people regionally to address the concerns that they have around crime.

At a local level, PCSPs are taking forward a range of initiatives that aim to tackle fear of crime amongst older people. For example, Derry City and Strabane PCSP and partners have developed a film resource pack to help raise awareness of scams and financial abuse among older people. Community Safety Wardens and other community leaders are using this resource to engage with older persons groups, providing practical advice on improving their safety.