Community safety

Community safety is about helping communities to be and feel safe. It is important that you feel safe where you live, work or spend your leisure time. There are ways that you can get involved to help improve the safety of your own community.

Policing and Community Safety Partnerships

Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) are statutory bodies, set up to help make communities safer. They also make sure that the voices of local people are heard on policing and community safety issues.

They:

aim to support communities develop solutions that help tackle crime, fear of crime and anti-social behaviour
monitor police performance
help gain the co-operation of the public with the police in preventing crime and enhancing local community safety

Each PCSP has a policing committee to deal with police monitoring and engagement with local communities.

PCSPs may also set up delivery groups to address particular community safety issues that arise in their areas.

There are 11 PCSPs across Northern Ireland, one working in each council district. You can find out more on the PCSPs website.

What PCSPs do

PCSPs aim to make the community safer by focusing on the policing and community safety issues that matter most in each local area.

In making communities safer, PCSPs:

talk to and engage with the local community on issues of concern about policing and community safety
identify and prioritise the particular issues of concern and prepare plans for how these can be tackled
monitor the performance of the police and work to gain the co-operation of the public with the police in preventing crime
reduce crime and enhance community safety in their district, directly through their own actions, through the work of their delivery groups, or through support for the work of others

Members

Each PCSP has between eight and 10 political members, depending on the size of the council area. This reflects the political make-up of each council and is representative of the local community.

Each PCSP also has seven to nine independent members of the community who are appointed by the Northern Ireland Policing Board. The political members and the independent members form the policing committee.

PCSPs also have representatives of designated organisations, which have been listed in an Order made by the Department of Justice. The organisations are:

Police Service of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Probation Board for Northern Ireland
Youth Justice Agency
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
The Education Authority

These organisations must be represented on all PCSPs, while others may also be selected locally by a PCSP.

The Chair of each partnership is a local councillor, and the Vice Chair is an independent member.

Neighbourhood policing

The police have Local Policing Teams (LPTs) and Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs), working across districts to help keep communities safe.

Find out more about policing in your area on the PSNI website.

How to get involved in community safety

There are several ways you can make a difference, including:

make yourself aware of your local PCSP, its members and its Partnership Plan, download the plan from your local council website or can contact your PCSP directly
Policing and Community Safety Partnerships website
contact your PCSP members on local policing and community safety issues of concern to you
follow your local PCSP on Twitter and Facebook
go to public PCSP meetings; details will be advertised in the local media and on the internet
engage in consultation exercises and events your PCSP may be organising
volunteer to assist in projects being delivered in your area to address policing and community safety issues
join your local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, if there isn't one in your area, you might consider starting one - your local police station or Policing and Community Safety Partnership manager should be able to put you in touch with a scheme near you
Neighbourhood watch

There is also a diverse range of local groups working in the community that encourage residents to get involved. For example, Partners and Communities Together (PACT) and local Neighbourhood Policing team panels. Talk to your local team to find out what's happening in your area and how you can get involved.

Find out more about setting up a neighbourhood watch in your area.

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