Investing in Police Community Engagement

The Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) is funded by the Programme and is often the most visible element of policing’s contribution towards addressing paramilitary harm. However, the Programme has also provided a £145,000 investment to policing for the delivery of Community Safety and Engagement projects.

 

Chief Inspector Joanne Gibson from the Strategic Partnerships and Prevention Branch explains more: “This investment allows us to support a range of projects in communities who have specific challenges. These initiatives are tailored to meet the needs of different areas, allowing our local officers the opportunity to engage with people, build relationships and break down barriers in an informal setting.

 

“We also deliver projects that enhance problem-solving around issues impacting on the community and that promote engagement with, and visibility of, policing. This work complements the activities of the PCTF, as we know that in order to deliver safer communities a security and criminal justice approach alone will not suffice.”

Ending the Harm Public Awareness Campaign Update

The Programme’s hard-hitting Ending the Harm public awareness campaigns highlight how organised crime and paramilitary activity can have a devastating impact on victims, their families, local communities and wider society. The current campaign focuses on how these gangs use illegal money lending to control and coerce vulnerable people.


Our Programme Team Communications Manager explains more:  
“Our current campaign, which has been live since June 2021, is more important now than ever given the ongoing cost of living crisis. It will be particularly active from now until January next year and we will have a presence across TV, radio, billboards and online, highlighting the harms of this practice and signposting people to appropriate help.


“We have studied where the adverts have been most effective over the past year and have used that information to make changes to where we are spending our campaign budget going forward. For example, we’re now less active on Instagram and have used that money to advertise more on TikTok, where we have achieved good levels of engagement.”