Community Safety

Community safety is an area of concern for all communities. It is consistently a high public priority and one that can affect the quality of life for individuals and entire communities. In recent years it has been acknowledged that tackling community safety issues cannot be done by the police alone but is dependent on a number of organisations and services working together holistically to find solutions to problems that affect local communities.

This coordinated approach was enshrined in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which made it a statutory duty for each local authority area to have a Community Safety Partnership in place, made up of representatives from the local authority, the Police Force, the Police Authority, the Fire and Rescue Authority and the Local Health Board.

The role of local authorities
Community safety covers a broad area of policy including, but not limited to, policing, crime and disorder, reducing re-offending, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse, domestic abuse, and fire. In addition to the specific role played by local authorities as part of the partnerships, many other core local authority services contribute to making Wales’ communities safe including:

• transport - for road safety
• education - promoting citizenship and to divert young people away from crime
• environment – responding to and preventing environmental crime such as graffiti and fly-tipping
• housing - protecting residents from anti-social behaviour
• social services - protecting vulnerable people and the victims of crime and coordinating Youth Offending Teams
• leisure and culture – providing alternative activities for those at risk of offending
• planning – designing a built environment that discourages crime and anti social behaviour
• community services – providing warden schemes and CCTV schemes
• regulatory services – promotion of the statutory licensing objects under the Licensing Act 2003 regarding the prevention of crime and disorder and protection of the public

The role of local authorities in helping to deliver the community safety agenda is further reinforced by the broad duty set out under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act whereby local authorities are required to consider crime and disorder in the discharge of all of their functions.

Recent legislation has increased the responsibilities placed on local authorities in relation to community safety. Amendments to the Crime and Disorder Act introduced by the Police and Justice Act 2006 extends the duty placed on authorities to consider crime and disorder in the discharge of their functions, to include antisocial behaviour and other behaviour affecting the local environment, as well as the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances.

Provisions in the Police and Justice Act also revised the way in which Community Safety Partnerships are organised and carry out their functions. National Minimum Standards for Community Safety Partnerships were introduced in autumn 2007. The Act also repealed the requirement on Partnerships to produce 3 year Community Safety Strategies and replaced this with a requirement to put in place 3 year annual rolling plans.

The role local authorities play in tackling anti-social behaviour has also increased in recent years. Local authorities now have a range of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour in local communities including Anti-Social Behaviour Orders; Acceptable Behaviour Contracts; Penalty Notices for Disorder and Parenting Orders. The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 also gives a range of new powers to the local authority, in partnership with the police, to tackle alcohol related disorder including Drinking Banning Orders and Alcohol Disorder Zones.

Further information
WLGA website: Community Safety pages www.wlga.gov.uk

Home Office Crime Reduction website www.crimereduction.gov.uk

Welsh Assembly Government website: Community Safety www.wales.gov.uk

Crime Statistics for England and Wales

Crime Strategy – Cutting Crime: A New Partnership

Delivering Safer Communities: A Guide to Effective Partnership working

Guide to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts

Tackling Domestic Abuse Strategy: The All Wales National Strategy

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