Community safety and criminal justice partners
Why work in partnership?
Effective partnership working is critical to preventing and reducing crime. It can enable agencies to better understand their local communities, to agree shared priorities and to target their resources accordingly, in a way which leads to improved outcomes for the public. Where partnerships work well they can prevent duplication, reduce costs and tackle issues with a joined-up problem-solving approach. But we need partnerships based on action - not meetings and paperwork.
The government has removed reporting burdens and unnecessary legislation to free partners to focus on local priorities, not those set in Whitehall. Community safety and criminal justice partners should consider how they can best arrange themselves in order to deliver successful outcomes for communities. Section 10 of the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act 2011 sets out the duties for PCCs to work in co-operation with 'responsible authorities' and criminal justice bodies. There is some overlap in the current membership of these two groups and some changes in train to the bodies that will comprise the two groups.
How will the PCC work with local partners?
PCCs will provide strong local leadership in preventing and reducing crime and re-offending and addressing community safety needs across the force area. Their ability to drive action and collaboration across a range of agencies and partnerships will be underpinned by their democratic mandate.
PCCs will need to work with other local leaders to achieve shared outcomes for their communities. They will need to collaborate with partners to ensure that local resources are used effectively and efficiently.
What will the specific relationship be between PCC and CSP partners?
The connection between CSPs and local communities will be made stronger with the introduction of PCCs. Commissioners will have a democratic mandate to respond to the community safety and crime reduction priorities of the public within their force area. They will need to build strong relationships with local partners and work collaboratively to achieve this.
The strength of PCCs being elected at police force level is that they have a strategic overview across local partnerships in their area and will be in a position to identify ways to drive and coordinate action across the force area.
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act puts in place a flexible framework for the relationship between the PCC and their community safety and criminal justice partners. These include:
- a reciprocal duty to co-operate on the Commissioner and responsible authorities of CSPs in achieving crime reduction outcomes
- a duty for the Commissioner and Community Safety Partners to have regard to each others priorities as set out in their respective plans
- the ability to require reports from CSPs about issues of concern
- authority to call meetings to bring together representatives of any or all CSPs in their area to discuss priorities or particular issues (NB: Not the case in London)
- ability, on application of the CSPs concerned, to merge CSPs. The Home Secretary's consent would be required where this would cross a force boundary
- ability to commission community safety work. This could be from a range of partners which may include CSPs.
What will the relationship be between PCCs and the Criminal Justice System?
The reciprocal duty to co-operate aims to ensure that the decisions that the PCCs and their partners take on local priorities and investment take account of their wider implications. The legislation names the criminal justice bodies which currently form LCJBs (Yot, probation, prison, cps, courts, police). There may be a local imperative to include a wider range of bodies such as victims' organisations or defence solicitors.
Ministers have been clear from the start that there may be a potential future role for PCCs in respect of the wider criminal justice system as further reforms develop. In any event it makes good strategic and business sense to ensure collaboration arrangements are in the best possible shape ahead of the arrival of these new, pivotal figures in the local CJS.
It is recognised that the independence of the judiciary and prosecution should not be compromised, although PCCs will retain a legitimate interest in the administration of justice in their area. The Act states that in exercising their functions, the elected policing body and the criminal justice bodies 'must make arrangements (so far as it is appropriate to do so) for the exercise of functions so as to provide an efficient and effective criminal justice system'.
What funding will PCCs have to commission services?
In 2013-14, in addition to the main police grant and precept, police and crime commissioners will also receive funding from the Community Safety Fund (CSF). The CSF can be used to tackle drugs and crime, reduce re-offending, and improve community safety. Allocations for the CSF have not yet been set.
Why will funding be awarded at a higher level (PCC) than direct to CSPs and other delivery organisations?
PCCs will have a democratic mandate to respond to local community safety priorities. To support this they will have a budget to contribute to commissioning community safety services alongside partners.Will community safety funding just end up being spent on policing, such as salaries?
The terms of the community safety funding are being actively developed. It will be for the PCC to work with other local community leaders to ensure that funding is spent in the most appropriate way to achieve local priorities.What are the arrangements for 2012-13?
In order to minimise bureaucracy and prevent disruption to programmes, Ministers have decided that existing arrangements for community safety and partnership funding will continue during 2012-13, but will be provided to PCCs from 2013-14.What are funding arrangements in London?
The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC) was established in January 2012, earlier than other areas. Individual programmes, which are centrally-funded, will communicate their own arrangements for 2012-13 in London.What flexibility will PCCs have?
PCCs will have flexibility to decide their local priorities set out in the Police and Crime Plan and to use their resources to deliver their priorities. PCCs will be able to pool resources and funding with local partners wherever they choose to do so, according to local needs and priorities, including through community budgets.How can partners access funds?
PCCs will decide their own community safety priorities. Local partners should put themselves in as strong a position as possible to provide evidence to PCCs that will support local investment decisions.What opportunities do PCCs provide for local areas?
PCCs have flexible powers to award resources to any appropriate body or organisation they see as supporting their community safety objectives. Existing bodies, and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, as well as grassroots organisations, could receive funding where they offer a clear benefit.
PCCs will also provide greater opportunities for streamlining of structures and joint commissioning.
What will happen to partnership funding?
In 2012-13 partnership funding will continue to go to local authorities. From 2013-14 this funding will go to PCCs, who will use the funding at their discretion.Could PCCs threaten existing arrangements and structures?
PCCs are able to invest in arrangements and programmes that provide obvious benefits and value for money, and which are effective at tackling local issues.How will PCCs affect local decisions on contracts and procurement that run into future years?
Grants are only usually ever provided for one year, and should always contain break clauses.