To ask the Minister of Justice (i) to detail any projects or schemes her Department is involved in that are addressing anti-social behaviour in; (a) Northern Ireland; and (b) East Londonderry; and (ii) for her assessment of anti-social behaviour rates in each of these areas.

Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) which are funded by my department and the Northern Ireland Policing Board continue to lead on the Department’s operational response to specific anti-social behaviour (ASB) concerns at a local level by working in partnership with designated partners, local statutory bodies/agencies, the voluntary sector and the community to deal with, and reduce the impact of, actual and perceived ASB on the local community.

Actions taken by PCSPs to address ASB include provision of community safety warden services; diversionary and community engagement projects; detached youth programmes; delivery of educational programmes; awareness raising campaigns to prevent ASB; projects with Night Time Economy stakeholders; and small grant schemes. They also link with other partnership structures, such as ASB Forums which have a role in addressing ASB to ensure a synergy in the local response to this issue.

In terms of East Londonderry, examples of projects and schemes the Causeway Coast & Glens PCSP are delivering include:

Supporting a neighbourhood watch scheme in conjunction with the PSNI to address ASB and crime in communities;

Facilitating an ASB working group, attended by the PSNI, which meet as and when situations require it;

Supporting a Community Intervention Support Programme to assist young individuals at risk of becoming involved in ASB

Funding a small grants scheme for local groups to derive local solutions to ASB

As you will be aware PCSP Action Plans for 2022/23 are currently being finalised. These plans are informed by the priorities identified by statutory partners and other stakeholders across Council areas.

In terms of an assessment of ASB rates, the most recently available PSNI statistics, covering the 12 months from 1st February 2021 until 31st January 2022, indicate a fall in recorded ASB incidents of 14.2% across Northern Ireland when compared with the previous 12 months. In East Londonderry, covered by the Causeway Coast & Glens Policing District, the same comparison shows an 11% fall in recorded incidents.