Local groups are set to benefit from £150k from the Assets Recovery Community Scheme, Justice Minister Naomi Long has announced.
A number of community and voluntary organisations in the Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Council area, as well as Newry have been awarded funding from the 2024-2027 Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS).
The money allocated will go towards preventing re-offending, preventing domestic violence/violence against women and girls, preventing anti-social behaviour/intergenerational project, cybercrime prevention.
The groups awarded funding are:
The Right Key (based in Loughbrickland) – £74k; PSNI Lurgan – £25.5k; Lismore College Craigavon – £3k; and Seven Derrys Youth Club (Aghagallon) – £2.7k.
Also awarded funds were Newry Street Unite – £7.3k; and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust – £36k.
Minister Long said: “The ARCS funding is giving back to the communities that are known to suffer at the hands of criminals who prey on the vulnerable for their own financial gain. By going after their proceeds of crime, we can deprive these criminals of their ill-gotten gains and take the profit out of their heinous lifestyle and from lining their own pockets.
“The funding will go towards making communities in Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon safer by preventing crime and reducing fear of crime in communities. Criminals do not protect their communities. They are only vested in profit for themselves.”
The funding awarded aims to improve the lives of people living in these districts and also benefit communities by tackling crime and reducing the fear of crime and helping the environment.
The funding will be allocated over a three-year period.
Over £9 million has been distributed to a wide range of projects across Northern Ireland since the introduction of the scheme in 2012. This demonstrates the hard work and dedication of the justice agencies who work tirelessly to halt and disrupt these criminals in benefiting from their ill-gotten gains.
The ARCS budget is derived from confiscation orders which may be made following a criminal conviction to recover the proceeds of crime.
In addition, there are a number of projects that were allocated funding under the current Scheme that operate on a Northern Ireland-wide basis that are having a positive impact on the lives of people across many geographical areas.
