Revised community safety plan published

A revised National Community Safety Plan 2008-11 has been published, which follows the July 2007 publication of the Government’s Cutting Crime: A New Partnership 2008-11.

It continues to underline the fresh approach to tackling crime and increasing community safety.

The July publication set the overarching strategic framework for crime and community safety from 2008/09 to 2010/11. This was followed in October by a new set of public service agreements (PSAs), which set out the government`s high-level objective relevant to local strategic partnerships and local criminal justice boards.

The plan has been amended to ensure that it is clearly in line with the crime strategy and PSAs. “It does not mean a radical shift in direction,” said a Home Office spokesperson.

“There is a strong continuity between the six themes of the previous National Community Safety Plan 2006-2009 and the community safety priorities set out in the new set of PSAs.”

The revised plan has a shift in emphasis on the following: for example:

• A stronger focus on more serious violence.
• Greater flexibility for local partners to deliver local priorities.
• A specific outcome to increase community confidence.
• The need to reflect the increased threat to communities posed by violent extremists.

“Given the nature of these crimes, although specific local challenges will vary, all local agencies in every area can be expected to prioritise efforts to tackle serious violence,” said the plan.

“A key principle is that partnerships should have flexibility to tackle local priorities. Therefore, success for this PSA has been defined as no local area having is proportionate levels of the most harmful acquisitive crimes compared with what has been achieved in other areas.

“This means that local areas can focus greatest effort on reducing those harmful acquisitive crimes that matter most to people locally.”