Agenda 21The UK played a key role at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, which drew up a framework for future action on sustainable development across the globe (Agenda 21). Sustainable development aims to protect and enhance the environment to ensure better quality of life for everyone now and for generations to come. It encompasses environmental, social and economic goals, and aims to satisfy people’s basic needs, such as providing warm homes and safe streets and giving people the opportunity to achieve their potential through education, information, participation and good health. Since Rio, UK LAs have led the way internationally in implementing local sustainable development action plans in partnership with local communities. The Government is committed to all LAs in the UK adopting Local Agenda 21 strategies by the year 2000. Lead Dept: DETR |
Alcohol strategyThe Government announced its intention of developing a strategy to tackle alcohol misuse in the Green Paper Our Healthier Nation in February 1998. In response to this, the national voluntary sector agency Alcohol Concern undertook a widespread consultation exercise culminating in a report to Dept. Health, published in May 1999. Submissions were also provided by other key stakeholders including the alcoholic drinks industry. The White Paper Our Healthier Nation re-confirmed the Government’s commitment to the strategy and set out its broad aims, concerning sensible drinking, providing services to tackle alcohol abuse, and protecting individuals and communities from anti-social and criminal behaviour related to alcohol misuse. Dept. Health are taking this work forward, in partnership with health and industry interests, and expect to publish their strategy early in the year 2000. (Lead department: DH.) |
Beacon Council statusLocal Authorities (LAs) have been invited to apply for Beacon Council status. Beacon status has been awarded to LAs for excellence in a particular service or cross-cutting service area. As part of the Beacon Council Scheme for 1999-2000, one of the areas councils could apply was under "services that prevent local shopping area and town centre crime and disorder". Lead Dept: DETR |
Best ValueThe duty of Best Value, which the Local Government Act, 1999 applies to all principal LAs and a number of other bodies operating within the local government finance system (including police authorities), is designed to deliver real and sustained improvements in the quality of services which local people receive. It requires authorities to set themselves demanding targets for service improvements, and to report to local people on the level of performance achieved and the manner in which services are delivered. Authorities are further required to demonstrate that their approach is consistent with priorities of local people as expressed via consultation. Best Value became operational in England on 1 April 2000. Where authorities fail to meet the duty, Ministers will have a wide range of powers to tackle those failures, and ensure that local people receive the quality of public services, which they deserve and are entitled to expect. For further information on relevant Best Value Indicators which impact on crime, disorder, and anti-social behaviour see Best Value & Audit Commission Performance Indicators for 2000/2001, DETR (1999) (Lead department: DETR.) |
Crime Reduction ProgrammeThe Government has committed £250 million over the next three years to the Crime Reduction Programme.
The programme will cover five broad themes.
More about the
Crime Reduction Programme (Lead Department: Home Office.) |
Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain: The Governments Ten-Year Strategy for Tackling DrugsProduced in 1998, the Cross-Departmental strategy has four elements:
Partnership is seen essential at every level. At Government level, the work is led by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drug Misuse chaired by Ann Taylor and by other groups chaired by Keith Hellawell and his Deputy Mike Trace. These bring together key players in the field from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors and others with an interest. They work closely with the local partnerships set up by Drug Action Teams. The Drug Action Teams are the critical link in the chain, ensuring that this strategy is translated into concrete action. To assist in that, detailed guidance notes are being issued to those working in the field putting this strategy into practice. More about the Government's drug strategy |
Drug Action TeamsDrug Action Teams (DATs) are a mechanism for co-ordination of anti-drugs activity in a specified local area. DATs should include all chief officers of agencies with responsibilities for tackling aspects of the drug problem: police, probation, prisons, health, LAs, social services, education and youth services. By participating in the DAT, each agency will be enabled to take the wider strategic view of the local area’s drug problem and to ensure that their operational responses are better co-ordinated and effective.Local Crime & Disorder Partnerships should ensure that their strategic and operational plans incorporate and complement the objectives of both the DAT and its key partners in relation to drugs. This will ensure agreed individual, joint action and consistency aimed at increased effectiveness. (Lead department: Cabinet Office & Home Office) |
Drugs Prevention Advisory ServiceAn extra £217 million is being spent on tackling the drugs problem, with over £70 million going to health and LAs to provide new treatment programmes, including a significant proportion for young people at risk. A new drugs prevention advisory service has been set up and £21 million has been allocated to support education in schools. The Government has a ministerial group looking at ways of tackling the problem of alcohol misuse by children. It has secured a strengthened industry code of practice to guard against irresponsible marketing of alcoholic drinks and has ensured that the industry’s proof of age scheme is expanded to help prevent children obtaining alcohol unlawfully. The group has also ensured that complementary action is taken by the courts and police and across Government departments. More about the Drugs Prevention Advisory Service (Lead department: Home Office) |
Education Action ZonesEducation Action Zones have been established to develop imaginative approaches to raising standards in disadvantaged urban and rural areas. There are 73 zones, which cover 1,400 schools. The Report of Policy Action Team 12, ‘Young People’ revealed clear links between poor neighbourhoods; under achievement in education; experience of crime & anti-social behaviour as victims and perpetrators; teenage pregnancy; and a range of health issues. Local Crime & Disorder Partnerships should ensure synergy between the strategies of the Education Action Zones and Crime Reduction Strategies by carrying out joint analysis of key trends and risks in their area, sharing views and using information better; and agreeing individual and joint action to tackle crime & anti-social behaviour. More about Education Action Zones (Lead department: Dept. Education & Employment |
Employment Action ZonesThis initiative aims to help long term unemployed people into sustainable work & independence by pooling funds for training, and employment service support |
Excellence in CitiesExcellence in Cities, which was launched in March 1999, is a new programme to raise standards and to change parental expectations of city education in six of the largest conurbations - London, Manchester/Salford, Liverpool/Knowsley, Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford and Sheffield/Rotherham. A total of £350 million is being invested over three years. Measures include Beacon Schools, learning mentors and summer schools for gifted students. More about Excellence in Cities (Lead department: DfEE.) |
Health Action ZonesThese are seven-year programmes between the National Health Service, local authorities, community groups, the voluntary sector and business to develop & implement a health strategy to deliver within their area measurable improvements in public health. They also aim to achieve service modernisation by increasing effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness of services by working in partnership, adding value through creating synergy between the work of different agencies. (Lead Dept: Dept of Health) |
The Local Government Association New Commitment to RegenerationThe Local Government Association New Commitment to Regeneration is based on the preparation of comprehensive, bottom-up regeneration strategies at LA level. This is being done by local partnerships including the LA, public sector bodies, business and community/voluntary groups. The strategies are concerned with the broad agenda of social, environmental and economic regeneration. This incorporates community safety issues e.g. crime and anti-social behaviour. |
Mental Health ServicesModernising Mental Health Services sets out a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving adult mental health services, including services for mentally disordered offenders. £700 million is being made available over the next three years to support service development in health and social services. (Lead department: DH.) Check role of Crime & Disorder Partnerships in terms of risk assessment of mentally disordered offenders who have been released into the community. (Lead department: HO.) |
Neighbourhood Endowment FundsThe PAT report on Community Self-Help published in September 1999 proposed the establishment of Neighbourhood Endowment Funds. This fund would be owned and controlled by the local community. The process of deciding how to spend ‘their’ money for community benefit could act as a social glue, binding local people together in joint decision making, which could include reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.More on Neighbourhood Endowment Funds (Lead department: HO.) |
Neighbourhood Support FundThe Neighbourhood Support Fund is intended to re-engage disaffected and disengaged 16-17 year olds living on the poorest estates into education, training and employment. Through innovative fund-supported projects, these young people will have the opportunity to develop their self-esteem, skills and knowledge and thereby become ‘learning ready’. The added benefit is that such young people will be diverted away from crime & anti-social behaviour. Projects will be locally based, run by community organisations working with young people known to them. (Lead department: DfEE.) |
Neighbourhood Warden SchemesIt has been announced that the Home Office and the DETR will be setting up a unit to promote neighbourhood warden schemes. Schemes differ, but most have in common the aim of reducing crime, and the fear of crime. Some wardens also play a role in tackling anti-social behaviour, making environmental improvements and helping with housing management. Some schemes have provided a stepping-stone back to work for long term unemployed people. The Policy Action Team Report 6 on Neighbourhood Wardens found that such schemes can be cost effective and work well with the police. The PAT and the Association of Chief Police Officers agreed a list of principles on how warden schemes should be run to ensure that warden activity is complementary to the police. Such activity could be incorporated into local Crime & Disorder Partnership Plans strategies and annual plans. For further information on Neighbourhood Warden Schemes; the problems they address, the methods they employ, their scale & funding, in addition to 50 case studies evaluating their effectiveness see J. Jacobson, E. Saville, Neighbourhood Warden Schemes: An Overview (1999)Home Office, Policing & Crime Reduction Unit., Crime Reduction Research Series Paper 2. |
New Deal for CommunitiesThe New Deal for Communities (NDC) is designed to tackle multiple deprivation in the very poorest neighbourhoods in an integrated way. It is providing intensive help to reduce crime, improve health and educational attainment and improve job prospects. Crime and anti-social behaviour ranks high in its list of priorities because of the debilitating effects they can have in driving out business from a community, trapping people in their homes at the expense of community development and encouraging the economically active to leave an area altogether. NDC has resources of £800 million over the next three years to support this programme which aims to bring together local people, community and voluntary organisations, public agencies, LAs and business in an intensive local focus to tackle the problems inherent in these neighbourhoods. Seventeen LA districts have been selected as eligible Pathfinder Areas, because their problems are so severe, and are now developing their local programmes. More areas will be included in the programme in later years. Local Crime & Disorder Partnerships should ensure synergy between the strategies of the NDC area and Crime Reduction Strategy by carrying out joint analysis of key crime & anti-social behaviour trends and risks, sharing views and information; and agree action to tackle crime & anti-social behaviour in the NDC area. This will contribute to shared objectives and targets, which are more likely to succeed. More on the New Deal for Communities (Lead department: DETR.) |
New StartNew Start aims to motivate and re-engage 14-17 year olds who have dropped out of learning or who are at risk of doing so. At its heart is a multi-agency partnership working at local level. Young people needing extra help in difficult circumstances are being targeted by local partnerships in order to bring them back into learning. Funds have been made available to develop New Start activity throughout the country during 1999-2000. (Lead department: DfEE.) |
On TrackThe On Track multiple intervention programme is a long-term crime reduction programme aimed at children, aged 4-12, at risk of developing offending behaviour. It will be planned on the basis that it will run for 7-10 years. Overall the programme will be looking to see outcomes rising towards a 50 per cent drop in truancy and exclusions within 2-3 years and a 50 per cent reduction in offending by young people within 7-10 years. The day-to-day responsibility for the programme rests with the Family Policy Unit of HO. There will be 20-30 pilots operating in high-crime, high-deprivation communities in England and Wales. They will build on and link together those existing services and initiatives for children and families that can play a role in reducing the likelihood of offending in later life.On Track will add value to existing work by: creating a greater focus on early crime prevention among key service providers; improving co-ordination of services for this age group; fostering the development of evidence-based models; and providing hard information about what works best in terms of crime prevention and methods of inter-agency co-operation. The aim is to choose the pilot areas by spring 2000 and have implementation under way by the autumn. (Lead department: HO.) |
Quality ProtectsThis programme is a key part of the Government's wider strategy for tackling social exclusion. It focuses on working with some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable ‘at risk’ children in society ; those children looked after by councils in the child protection system; and other children in need. The key elements are: new national Government objectives for children’s services: an important role for local councillors in delivering the programme; and annual evaluation of local authority performance against Action Plans; and a new children’s service grant of £375 million. A key aim is to ensure that children leaving care are not isolated, and can participate socially & economically as citizens as they enter adulthood. Lead department: DH |
Single Regeneration BudgetSRB brought together a number of programmes from several Government departments with the aim of simplifying and streamlining the assistance available for regeneration. SRB’s priority is to enhance the quality of life of local people in areas of need by tackling the multiple problems of crime, anti-social behaviour, poor educational attainment, unemployment, lack of cultural and leisure facilities. The SRB is providing over £2.4 billion from 1999 to 2002 for partnership-based initiatives. £770 million of this is ‘new’ money, and Round 5 (1998 will attract over £2.4 billion of private sector and European Union money).Local Crime & Disorder Partnerships can assist SRB partnerships by providing monitoring information on crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour, and risk factors. Some local Crime & Disorder Partnerships have secured SRB funds for managing specific crime/anti-social behaviour initiatives. More details on the Single Regeneration Budget (Lead department: DETR.) |
Sure StartSure Start is a new inter-departmental Government strategy aimed at children under 4 and their families. The aim of Sure Start is to work with pre-school children to promote their physical, intellectual and social development – particularly those who are disadvantaged – to ensure they are ready to thrive when they get to school. Sure Start is based upon various studies which have shown that initiatives, which target children, their families, their schools and friends, can prevent criminality, anti-social behaviour and/or reduce risk factors. The Sure Start aims will be delivered through Sure Start programmes. The Government has set aside £452 million to fund at least 250 such programmes across England by 2002. Each programme is run by a partnership involving local stakeholders. The evaluation of the Sure Start programme will assess how these children progress later on in childhood and into their teenage years by tracking contact with the criminal justice system, drug related crime, levels of economic activity and teenage smoking and pregnancy. Crime & Disorder Partnerships can complement or incorporate the objectives and targets of this programme to increase success. (Lead department: DfEE.) |
Speaking up for Justice/Victims & Witness SupportThe Speaking up for Justice report, published by the Home Secretary in 1998, put forward 78 proposals designed to encourage and support vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give their best evidence in criminal cases. Part II of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act, 1999 contains those recommendations that required legislation. This provides for a range of special measures. In November 1999, the Government published Action for Justice, the implementation plan for all the recommendations in Speaking up for Justice, including the legislation, the supporting guidance and training, and the installation of the necessary equipment in courts e.g. use of screens, live TV links, and video recorded interviews. The timetable includes implementing the witness intimidation measures, issuing a witness protection protocol, and completing guidance to the police on dealing with witnesses subject to harassment, by spring 2000. Most special measures will be implemented in the Crown Court and Youth Courts by the end of 2000. (Lead department: HO.) |
Town centresThere are many services involved in non-residential parts of urban areas including car parks, buses, trains, utilities, shops and schools. Currently LAs do not have strategic responsibility for the whole of the urban environment. The Urban Task Force has recommended that LAs should have this responsibility so they can ensure other property owners maintain their land and premises and deal with problems such as ‘fly-tipping’ (illegal dumping of rubbish and wastes) and vandalism. The Urban Task Force also recommended:
Government is currently considering the Task Force’s recommendations. The Government publishes an Urban White Paper and a parallel White Paper on rural policy is due to shortly. (Lead department: DETR.) |
Truancy and school exclusionThe Government is committed to reducing levels of truancy and school exclusion by one third by 2002. DfEE’s Social Inclusion Pupil Support grant will be providing nearly £500 million over the next three years to support effective action against truancy and school exclusion. The new programme will also make sure that for the first time all pupils excluded for more than three weeks will receive a full-time and appropriate education. The £250 million Crime Reduction Programme will fund and evaluate further projects to improve schools’ management of attendance, behaviour and bullying, and provide extra support for pupils at risk of exclusion, and to reduce the risk of future offending. ( More
on Social Inclusion: Pupil Support from DfEE |
White Paper Integrated TransportThe White Paper Integrated Transport contains a raft of actions in relation to tackling transport noise, improving safety, and increasing accessibility. An extra £700 million is being invested by the Government to allow local authorities to introduce integrated transport strategies. Specific aims include: reduction of crime & the fear of crime, wherever it occurs on the transport system, working with local authorities, transport operators, the police, motoring and other organisations on specific measures to reduce fears and in planning and design of urban & rural areas. Local Crime & Disorder Partnerships could assist in the development of such transport strategies by mapping crime & anti-social behaviour transport ‘hot spots’, carrying out local public audits, making recommendations, producing transport initiatives which included both situational and social interventions, and have a monitoring & evaluation role. (Lead department: DETR.) |
Youth Inclusion ProgrammeThis is an initiative, supported across Government, which aims to prevent offending by young people through a range of activities including sports and other recreational activities. It is targeted at the most disaffected 13-16 year olds in disadvantaged areas. It is based on the award-winning Youth Works projects, developed by Crime Concern. The programme’s aims are to reduce arrest rates in the target group by 60 per cent; reduce recorded crime in the area by 30 per cent and achieve a one-third reduction in truancy and school exclusions in the young people concerned by 2002. Eleven projects are already up and running; more are planned across England and Wales.More on the Youth Inclusion Programme (Lead department: HO.) |