Newry ‘Feel Safe’ workshop to help reduce crimes against older people | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Newry ‘Feel Safe’ workshop to help reduce crimes against older people

Crime against older people in Northern Ireland could be reduced significantly by empowering older people to make use of simple crime prevention advice, according to a leading older people’s charity.

feel safeAge Sector Platform, the charity responsible for the Northern Ireland Pensioners Parliament, has begun a series of ‘Feel Safe’ workshops for older people – providing practical advice and guidance to help them feel safe in their homes and communities.

Four workshops will be held in total with a Newry workshop taking place on Wednesday 20th January 2016.

Bill Carson from Age Sector Platform commented, “The most common crimes committed against older people in Northern Ireland are burglary, theft and criminal damage. By providing simple advice to older people, these sorts of crimes can be avoided, and that’s what we want to see happen.

“Clearly there is a role for police and other agencies in ensuring older people remain safe; but these workshops are an opportunity for older people to learn how they can do more to protect themselves and their property as they grow older.”

Bill says the workshops are also about reassuring those in attendance that violent crime against older people is not something they should be unduly worried about. In fact, those over the age of 65 are eight times less likely to be a victim of violent crime compared to those under 65.

He continued, “Upsetting stories in newspapers and on television can sometimes create the impression that this sort of crime is a common occurrence. Whilst it’s important to equip older people with advice on keeping themselves safe, we don’t want to create a situation where older people are locking themselves away in their own homes.

“With more ‘silver surfers’ than ever before, it’s also important older people become more adept in protecting their personal and financial details so they can enjoy the massive benefits of the Internet whilst ensuring they remain safe online.”

He added, “These workshops bring older people together with representatives from the Police Service, Trading Standards and other agencies for a two-way conversation on the crimes that concern them the most; and allow older people to pick up useful advice that could someday prevent them from becoming a victim of crime.”

Older people interested in attending the Newry ‘Feel Safe’ workshop should contact Age Sector Platform on 028 9031 2089 to register. Those unable to attend can pick up a copy of the ‘Feel Safe’ guide for older people by contacting the Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

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Posted by on Jan 14 2016. Filed under Community, What's On. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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