Purpose of the Toolkit

The Crime and Disorder Act received Royal Assent on 31 July 1998. It places a clear legal obligation on the local authority and police - jointly - to develop and implement a strategy for tackling crime and disorder. In so doing, they must involve a wide range of other key agencies, for example from the health, education, business and voluntary sectors. They must also consult widely with the community as a whole.

Partnerships must determine the nature and scope of local crime and disorder by conducting an audit of crime in their area. The audit must go beyond mere description of problems in order to lead to the development of an effective and relevant strategy. The Act does not prescribe the content of the strategies - the objective is to find local solutions to local problems. The Act requires partnerships to include in their strategies clear objectives and performance measures.

The strategy must be based upon the audit and must include objectives, and short and long-term performance targets for measuring the extent to which the objectives have been achieved. The partnerships must consult locally to ensure that these strategic priorities are accurate and relevant. The first strategies had to be in place by April 1999 with the process repeated every three years.

This Toolkit offers practical guidance and support for those charged with taking forward this important work. It is not prescriptive as the legislation allows maximum flexibility for local freedom to reflect local circumstances. It recognises that there will be local approaches and partnerships are encouraged to adopt the most effective approach for their area within the requirements of the 1998.

The essential test will be whether the police and local authorities – working with their local partners – succeed in cutting crime and disorder in their area.

The toolkits are aimed at practitioners and for practitioners. Their effectiveness relies on your input. We very much welcome contributions on good practice and advice on how to improve their content and approach. There are details on how you can help at 'Innovation'.