What is the Community Safety Partnership?

What do we mean by the Community Safety Partnership?

The term Community Safety Partnership and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) are used interchangeably both nationally and locally. The Community Safety Partnership refers to the whole Partnership which is made up of a number of different groups, detailed in a later section.

The Community Safety Partnership, in Peterborough, encompasses the Youth Offending Service and Drug Action Team but this is not the case in all Partnerships. The Partnership is therefore responsible for ensuring that strategic direction is provided in each of these areas.

Why have a Community Safety Partnership?

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 placed upon local authorities, along with other responsible authorities to form a Community Safety Partnership. At the time of the Act the responsible authorities were:

• Local authority
• Police
• Probation
• Health

However, since 1998 the following organisations are also considered as responsible authorities:

• Fire
• Primary Care Trusts

What are the responsibilities of the Community Safety Partnership?

Community Safety
The Act also places a requirement on Partnerships to undertake, every three years, a Crime Audit of the area and agree a Community Safety Strategy for the reduction of crime and disorder in the area. Before formulating the strategy, the responsible authorities shall

(a) Carry out a review of the levels and patterns of crime and disorder in the area (taking due account of the knowledge and experience of persons in the area)

(b) Prepare an analysis of the results of that review

(c) Publish a report of that analysis

(d) Obtain the views of the persons or bodies in the area whether by holding public meetings or otherwise

The Strategy shall include:

(a) Objectives to be pursued by the responsible authorities

(b) Long term and short term performance targets for measuring the extent to which such strategies have been achieved

Once published co-operating authorities will keep it under review with a view to monitoring its effectiveness and make any changes to it that appear necessary or expedient.