Legislation
Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Section 17
Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Section 17
INTRODUCTION
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 promotes the practice of partnership working to reduce crime and disorder and places a statutory duty on police and local authorities to develop and implement a strategy to tackle problems in their area. In doing so, the responsible authorities are required to work in partnership with a range of other local public, private, community and voluntary groups and with the community itself.
1.2 This approach recognises that both the causes of crime and disorder and the interventions required to deliver safer, more secure communities lies with a range of organisations, groups and individuals working in partnership. Crime reduction is not solely the responsibility of the police.
1.3 The view that tackling crime is a matter for the police and tackling poor health is a matter for the NHS and deprived neighbourhoods is a matter for local authorities and so categorises every problem and isolates responsibility for dealing with it into the silo of an individual agency or organisation. For people in the community the quality of their life in their neighbourhoods is affected by a whole range of influences. Quite rightly, they do not apportion responsibility for solutions uniquely to each individual agency and as part of our own community, we recognise situations in which the actions of one agency can positively contribute to the work of another. Local organisations working together can collectively provide interventions and responses to tackle problems and provide earlier, more effective solutions.
1.4 Section 17 of the Act recognises that there are key stakeholder groups who have responsibility for the provision of a wide and varied range of services to and within the community. In carrying out these functions, section 17 places a duty on them to do all it can to reasonably prevent crime and disorder in their area.
1.5 The purpose of section 17 is simple: the level of crime and its impact is influenced by the decisions and activities taken in the day-to-day of local bodies and organisations. The responsible authorities are required to provide a range of services in their community from policing, fire protection, planning, consumer and environmental protection, transport and highways. They each have a key statutory role in providing these services and, in carrying out their core activities, can significantly contribute to reducing crime and improving the quality of life in their area. Section 17 is aimed at giving the vital work of crime and disorder reduction a focus across the wide range of local services and putting it at the heart of local decision-making.
1.6 The implementation of this part of the Act, however, may not be seen by some partners as straightforward and undemanding. It may be seen as a radical approach to the way in which organisations have to work and be viewed as an additional burden to their core responsibilities.
1.7 The purpose of this guidance is to explain section 17 and to identify ways in which mainstreaming crime and disorder reduction into the strategic and implementation processes within organisations can not only contribute to their own delivery plans but also help contribute to the safety and well-being of people in their community.
Last update: 19/08/03