The province and capital city are providing joint funding to the Downtown Safety Coalition.
The group was formed after a growing level of concern regarding late-night activity that left visitors to the downtown and those working in the area fearful for their safety.
The Department of Justice is providing the coalition with $100,000, while the city is contributing $80,000 for a public education campaign to increase the reporting of crime when it happens.
The RNC has indicated that it needs to know about incidents when and where they are happening in order to apply the right resources to address the issue.
RNC Chief Pat Roche says that is a topic they have brought forward at meetings held over the last year.
He says their statistics don’t show an increase in crime for the area, and that’s why it is so important for people to report incidents when they happen. That way, he explains, they have a baseline to go by.
The coalitions includes members of the the RNC, Downtown St. John’s, the George Street Association, the City of St. John’s, Destination St. John’s, Hospitality NL, Music NL and the Provincial Government.
