HOC 08/2008 The £40 million Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund 2008 – 2009

The Police and Crime Standards Directorate of the Home Office have published Home Office Circular 08/2008, entitled ‘The £40 million Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund 2008-2009’.

It is addressed to:

• Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships/Community Safety Partnerships in Wales;
• Drug Action Teams/Community Safety Partnerships in Wales;
• Chief Officers of Police (England and Wales);
• Clerk to the Police Authority;
• Chief Executives of Local Authorities (England and Wales).

The circular provides updated guidance on Year 6 (2008/09) of the Basic Command Unit (BCU) Fund. The purpose of the fund is to:

• Help deliver crime and disorder reduction locally through supporting work with BCU partners on Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships or Community Safety Partnerships (CDRP/CSPs);
• Promote partnership working, for example by supporting the implementation of the recently introduced legislative requirements for partnerships;
• To assist in the delivery of objectives set out in the Government’s Public Service Agreements for 2008-11 with a particular focus on PSA 23 (Making Communities Safer) and PSA 25 (Reduce the harm caused by Alcohol and Drugs).

The circular states that BCU fund spending plans in England will need to be appropriately aligned with Partnership priorities as set out in the Local Area Agreements and will need to take account of the work of the emerging performance management and delivery landscape. All BCU spending plans will need to be aligned with the priorities in the partnership plan. This requires:

• BCU Commanders to agree their spending plans with their CDRP/CSPs and submit them to the Home Office Regional Deputy Director for approval by June 13.
• BCU Commanders to be aware that the fund should not be used to support mainstream policing activity.
• The plans to represent value for money and be able to stand up to scrutiny/audit.

Each BCU receives an individual allocation. No changes have been made to the formula for calculating allocation to take into account changes to BCU boundaries since the fund was established in 2003.

Because of this, the Home Office Regional Deputy Director may agree any adjustments with Chief Constables which are needed and to re-allocate monies within and between BCUs in a force area as necessary.

BCU Commanders in England may, in consultation with the Home Office Regional Deputy Director, continue to have the flexibility to decide whether to pool locally, or align, part or all of their allocation with CDRP monies under the Area Based Grant. However, the BCU fund remains separate from funding provided through the Local Area Agreement and is not a centrally agreed component of that fund.

BCU Fund money should be spent on:

Crime and Disorder Interventions

• The fund should be used for direct police activity and operations and a wide range of crime and disorder and anti-social behaviour interventions. These include focusing on repeat victims, tackling anti-social behaviour, introduction of pub watch schemes and youth inclusion work. They also include substance misuse work.
• The interventions which are funded should be based on the partnerships’ priorities identified through the CDRP/CSP strategic assessment.
• Interventions should be based on a problem solving approach and a knowledge of what works in crime reduction.
• They should be in line with police force area priorities as set out in the Home Secretary’s Strategic Policing Priorities.
• Priorities for spending should take into account the priorities in the National Community Safety Plan 2008-11, incorporating the National Policing Plan.

Partnership capacity

The fund may be used to increase partnership capacity to tackle crime. For example, programme and project management staff, analytical support and training programmes.<