The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, has announced the allocation of €4.4 million to 42 community safety projects across Ireland through the Community Safety Fund. The fund redirects proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and An Garda Síochána back into local communities to strengthen safety and social well-being. This year’s allocation marks a 33 per cent increase from 2024, supporting nearly double the number of projects funded when the initiative first began in 2022.
The projects receiving funding focus on key social challenges, including domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence (DSGBV), drug-related intimidation, addiction recovery, and violence reduction. They also target youth engagement, restorative justice, offender reintegration, and support for marginalized communities. Among the funded initiatives is the YMCA Dublin’s “Community Wellbeing and Safety Initiative,” which will receive €142,500 to build safer and more connected neighborhoods in Dublin through outreach and community-based research.
Minister O’Callaghan highlighted that the fund not only disrupts criminal activity by seizing illicit gains but also reinvests those resources directly into local safety and development. He noted the high quality of this year’s applications and announced an increase in the 2026 allocation to €4.75 million, ensuring the continued expansion of the initiative.
Administration of the fund falls under the National Office for Community Safety, which also supports and trains Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs) being rolled out nationwide. According to Gráinne Berrill, Director of the National Office for Community Safety, the growing number and diversity of applications reflect the value of channeling proceeds of crime into community-driven projects. She emphasized that LCSPs will play an important role in identifying local safety issues and aligning future funding to meet specific community needs.
