National Support Framework. Reducing Reoffending, cutting crime, changing lives (11th March 2010)
The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice have published guidance on the new duty for Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) across England and Wales to reduce reoffending. From 1 April 2010 CSPs will have a new duty to formulate and implement a strategy to reduce reoffending by adults and young offenders and probation will become the sixth statutory partner of CSPs.
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England and Local Health Boards (LHBs) in Wales are statutory partners on CSPs
and can play a critical role in helping to reduce reoffending by targeting health resources at those individuals in local
communities who need them most. This may or may not include individuals already in contact with the criminal
justice system. Areas where health services have a role in community safety include:
- tackling the misuse of alcohol, drugs and other substances (see section 6, Pathways out of offending), specifically through commissioning and providing appropriate health services
- identifying and providing advice and support for victims of domestic or sexual abuse
- providing health advice or treatment for people who put themselves or others at risk (for example, through their use of drugs or alcohol)
- working with other local partners to help prevent problems occurring in the first place.
Guidance
Healthy children, safer communities - a strategy to promote the health and well-being of children and young people in contact with the youth justice system (8th December 2009)This cross government strategy aims to help tackle youth crime and anti-social behaviour, and contribute to community safety in England. It sets out a strategic approach to inform the work of the Healthy Children, Safer Communities Programme Board to fulfil the vision that children and young people will be safer, healthier and stay away from crime.
Strategy
Nothing but the truth? A discussion paper (5th November 2009)The high-profile failure of public authorities to both safeguard Baby Peter in Haringey, and prevent the high number of deaths in Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, has directed attention to the accuracy and reliability of the data underpinning local service delivery.
This paper sets out important issues as the basis for discussion on how to ensure data about local public services is fit for purpose. It asks if citizens, along with frontline staff, managers, politicians, central government and local public service regulators, can have confidence in the data they rely on. And if not, what needs to be done about it?
Paper
Learning Together to be Safe: A toolkit to help colleges contribute to the prevention of violent extremism (7th August 2009)This toolkit provides information about what can cause violent extremism, about preventative actions taking place locally and nationally and about where colleges can get additional information and advice.
Toolkit An Action Plan for Tackling Violence 2008-11 - One Year On (5th August 2009)This report shows the government's progress on tackling violence and introduces a new wider commitment to reduce all violence with injury.
Report
Standing together: Principles to reduce children and young people's involvement in gun and knife crime (7th July 2009)This report, from the Childreen's Commissioner, brings forward the views of children and young people on gun and knife crime.
The report sets out 10 key principles and explores risk factors, parenting support, education, support for victims and their relatives and friends, interventions and sentencing.
Report
Film
Young people, and gun and knife crime: a review of the evidence (16th March 2009)This report, from the Children's Commissioner, is the outcome of an extensive review of English language evidence about the effectiveness of interventions designed to tackle children and young people's involvement in gun and knife crime. It also examines the research evidence about what factors in the lives of children and young people make them more or less likely to become involved in weapon-carrying and violent behaviour and considers the perceptions, values and motivations of the children and young people involved.
Report Solutions to gun and knife crime. Final report (15th March 2009)This report presents the findings from a survey of a representative sample of over 1,700 young people aged between 8 and 17 years old. The subject of the survey was chosen by consulting with young people about what issue they thought should form the basis of 11 Million's main project for 2008/09.
Report
Tired of Hanging Around (28th January 2009)This study focuses on the role of sport and leisure activities in preventing anti-social behaviour in young people aged 8 to 19 years. These activities are part of the actions that councils and their partners can use to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour. This study recognises, but does not cover, local agencies' work with families and young children or the role of schools in helping to prevent or address anti-social behaviour.Report
Summary
Scrutiny Tool
Accompanying materials
Towards healthier, fairer and safer communities - connecting people to prevent violence: a Framework for Violence and Abuse Prevention (11th December 2008)
The Department of Health is developing a Framework for Violence and Abuse Prevention. An engagement event was held on 25 November 2008. Presentations/Documents from the event are now available.
Presentation
Tackling Knives Programme (11th December 2008)
The Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) is an £2m intensive, cross-government action programme which committed to take swift action to reduce incidents of death and serious violence among teenagers. The programme, launched in June 2008 will run until 31st March 2009.
Information
Does Neighbourhood Watch reduce crime? (17th September 2008)
Considering such large investments of resources and community involvement in the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, it is important to ask whether it is effective in reducing crime. Therefore, this report reviewed all available studies evaluating the effectiveness of Neighbourhood Watch programmes in reducing crime. The publication summarises the findings of this review and discusses policy implications.
Document
‘What Works’ to tackle alcohol-related disorder? (17th September 2008)
This guide aims to provide guidance about ‘What works?’ for borough Community Safety Partnerships, the London ASB Joint Action Group and the London Community Safety Partnership. It outlines the nature and extent of alcohol-related ASB, the tools and powers being used to tackle these issues and the effectiveness of such interventions.
Guide
Early evaluation of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (14th August 2008)
This study was commissioned to provide an early evaluation of some of the measures of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. The report focuses on the three measures of the Act that were implemented during the evaluation period: making common assault an arrestable offence*; making it an arrestable, criminal offence to breach a non-molestation order; and extending the civil law on domestic violence (to ensure cohabiting same-sex couples have the same access to non-molestation and occupation orders as opposite sex couples, and non-molestation orders are available to couples who have never cohabited).
Report
Delivering safer communities: a guide to crime and disorder reduction partnerships (Originally published in February new to website 16th July 2008)
Crime and criminal behaviour has direct and significant links to the health of local communities – dealing with crime is good health policy. Primary care trusts (PCTs) in England have had legal responsibilities related to the reduction of crime and disorder since 2004. There are some areas of excellent practice, but in general only lip service has been paid to the new regulations. It is important that PCTs take their responsibilities seriously and this Briefing explains how the Home Office’s new document, Delivering safer communities: guidance for crime and disorder reduction partnerships and community safety partnerships, can help them do so. The legal responsibilities also apply to local health boards (LHBs) in Wales.
Click here for the Briefing
Youth Crime Action Plan (15th July 2008)
The youth crime action plan calls for more work to stop children from getting involved in criminality. It calls for cross-governmental work on 3 tracks: get youths off the streets late at night, provide intensive support for troubled families and levy tougher, more visible community payback sentences for young people convicted of crime.
Action Plan
Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessment
Engaging Communities in Fighting Crime (19th June 2008)
A major review examining how to better engage communities in the fight against crime and raise public confidence in the Criminal Justice System was published today. ‘Engaging Communities in Fighting Crime’ is the result of an in-depth, eight-month study headed by Louise Casey, former head of the Government’s Respect Task Force. The review contains more than 30 common-sense proposals to reduce crime, create safer communities and increase public confidence. The findings are strongly influenced by the views of nearly 15,000 ordinary members of the public and front-line staff, who have been canvassed by the review team since last October.
Click here for Full Report
Click here for Summary
Click here for Have Your Say Responses
Make Me a Criminal: Preventing youth crime (15th May 2008)This is an updated version of the report that was published in February 2008. This report makes the case for a more therapeutic and family-based approach to youth offending, as opposed to the present, more punitive, system. The arguments for the proposed approach appear persuasive – not only on humanitarian grounds, but also in terms of economics and efficacy.
Click here for the ReportCommunity leadership approaches to tackling street crime (15th May 2008)A review of whether the approaches taken to tackling street crime by a social enterprise in Manchester might be relevant to similar neighbourhoods in other areas. The United Estates of Wythenshawe (UEW) group in south Manchester is tackling street crime through its work with young people in Benchill, one of the UK’s most deprived wards. By converting a disused church into a community centre with a gym and many other activities, the group now has a base from which to work with young people. This study reviews their work in sharing their approaches with similar neighbourhoods in the Midlands and the North of England.
Click here for the Report
Click here for the Findings
All-Party Inquiry into Antisemitism: Government Response - one year on Progress Report (12th May 2008)
In September 2006, the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism published a comprehensive report about the sources of contemporary antisemitism. The report made 35 recommendations which set out what the Inquiry believed would improve the situation. The Government response of 29 March 2007 undertook to take action across government to respond to the report recommendations. Following the Government's response to the Inquiry report a cross-government working group was established and tasked with responding to the Inquiry recommendations. The working group also included membership from key Jewish organisations. This report sets out what the Government has achieved over the last year in tackling Hate Crime and more specifically antisemitism. The report reviews what the Government has achieved and sets out the commitment to continue to take practical, effective action to stamp out antisemitism whenever and wherever it occurs.
Click here for the Report
The impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on levels of crime and disorder: An evaluation (4th March 2008)
The Licensing Act 2003 came into effect on the 24th November 2005 and abolished set licensing laws in England and Wales. The aim was to liberalise a rigid system whilst reducing the problems of drinking and disorder associated with a standard closing time. This evaluation analysed recorded crime data in five case study areas. This was supplemented by survey data from local residents about their perceptions of crime and qualitative interviews with regulators and representatives from night time economy businesses. The findings suggest the overall volume of incidents of crime and disorder remains unchanged, though there are signs that crimes involving serious violence have reduced. There is, however, temporal displacement, in that the small proportion of violent crime occurring in the small hours of the morning has increased. Police, local authorities and licensees generally welcomed the new powers and the Act’s partnership philosophy.
Click here for the Main report
The Home Office: Reducing the risk of violent crime (21st February 2008)
Overall levels of violent crime have fallen by 9.0 per cent since 2002-03 and the number of serious violent offences recorded by the police has fallen by 5.9 per cent over the same period. The Home Office’s actions to encourage local areas to address domestic violence and alcohol related crime are likely to have made some contribution to this fall. However, the Home Office still needs to take further action to improve the delivery of funding to frontline practitioners, and also to articulate their long-term strategic approach to tackling violence. While levels of serious violence have fallen over recent years, they have done so at a slower rate than overall crime levels.
Click here for Full Report
Saving Lives. Reducing Harm. Protecting the Public. An Action Plan for Tackling Violence 2008-2011 (18th February 2008)This document is designed to guide local practitioners in their strategic planning and delivery of the Home Office's priorities with respect to serious violence over the next three years. It takes stock of the current situation and what has been achieved to date, and sets out the vision: to save lives, reduce harm and protect the public. It outlines how their understanding of what works can be applied in each local area, and how Government will support the front line in doing this.
Click here for the Document
Make me a criminal: Preventing youth crime (10th February 2008)This report makes the case for a more therapeutic and family-based approach to youth offending, as opposed to the present, more punitive, system. The arguments for the proposed approach appear persuasive – not only on humanitarian grounds, but also in terms of economics and efficacy.
Click here for the Report
