Section 17

Section 17 of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act 1998 states:

“Without prejudice to any other obligation imposed upon it, it shall be the duty of each authority … to exercise its various functions with due regard to the likely effect of the exercise of those functions on, and the need to do all that it reasonably can to prevent, crime and disorder in its area.”

It applies to a local authority, a joint authority, a police authority, a National Park authority and the Broads authority. For the purpose of the Act, an authority is defined as:

"local authority" means a local authority within the meaning given by section 270(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 or the Common Council of the City of London;

"joint authority" has the same meaning as in the Local Government Act 1985;

"National Park authority" means an authority established under section 63 of the Environment Act 1995.”

Therefore, the Act requires local authorities and others to consider crime and disorder reduction while exercising all of their duties. This reflects the reality that there are crime and/or disorder implications in decisions made across the full range of local authority services, and to correct the current situation under which these implications are often not recognised at the time decisions are taken, with expensive consequences.

Section 17 reinforces the requirement for mainstreaming preventative work. For example, the 2000 Best Value Performance Indicators for Community Safety provide new indicators for a local authority i.e. internal corporate strategy, departmental nominees or crime and disorder, targets in departmental business plans.

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