Audits and Strategies
The overall aim of sections 5 and 6 is to ensure that responsible authorities:
are aware of the nature of crime and disorder in their area;
are able to identify the methods of developing and implementing effective action
to help reduce that crime and disorder; and
formulate and publish a crime and disorder reduction strategy setting out the
findings of the audit and putting the strategy into practice
The awareness of local needs requires an understanding both of the nature of crime
and disorder and its causes in order to develop an effective programme to help deal
with it. Therefore, the audit should look to develop the wider perspective of how
crime impacts on the community and how the community can help impact on the crime.
The audit should not rely on only one or two sources of information but must
instead look to a range of sources from local organisations, community groups and
national sources.
The Act makes it clear that the duty to ensure that the work of tackling crime
and disorder locally gets under way rests jointly on the police and local authorities
or as the Act entitles them, the 'responsible authorities'. But the Act provides
for partnerships to be inclusive of the full range of agencies and individuals in
their area.
A comprehensive table of responsible authorities, co-operating bodies and invitees
to participate are set out on tabular form (click here). This is taken from the 'Statutory
Partnerships: Pathfinders Sites Report' published by the Home Office in 1999 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/cdact/pathmain.pdf).
Responsible authorities
Section 5(1) of the Act places a statutory duty on chief police officers and local
authorities to work together to develop and implement a strategy for reducing crime
and disorder. The strategy must cover a district, borough or unitary authority area.
Where county and district authorities exist, both will be involved on an equal basis.
Where the area to be covered by the strategy is served by more than one police force,
each force must also be involved.
The 1998 Act http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980037.htm
Co-operating bodies
Section 5(2) of the Act places a legal obligation to co-operate upon any police
authority, probation committee or health authority any part of whose area lies within
the strategy area. Section 5(2)(c) of the Act gives the Secretary of State power
to prescribe by Order of Parliament persons or bodies who must co-operate.
SI 1998/2452 http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1998/19982452.htm
SI 1998/2513 http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1998/19982513.htm
Invitees to participate
Section 5(3) of the Act gives the Secretary of State power to specify by Order
of Parliament any other body which must similarly co-operate and any particular bodies
or agencies which the responsible authorities must invite to participate in the process.
SI 1998/2452 http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1998/19982452.htm
SI 1999/483 http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1999/19990483.htm
Section 6 says that before formulating a strategy, the police and local authorities
will have to:
conduct a thorough audit of local crime and disorder problems, consulting widely
in the local community, and with other key partners;
prepare an analysis of the results;
publish a report of that analysis; and
obtain views on that report.
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. It will cover a three-year period. Once the strategy is agreed,
the responsible authorities are required to publish a document that includes details
of:
co-operating persons and bodies;
the crime and disorder review and analysis report;
the strategy with its objectives and targets.
The strategy is to be kept under review as necessary.
Click here for detailed guidance on the auditing process.
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