About community safety

Community safety is not just an issue for police and fire and rescue authorities. Councils contribute in a variety of ways.  These include work carried out through community safety partnerships in:

• emergency planning – ensuring that plans are in place to deal with emergency situations such as flooding, heavy snow and ice, civil unrest or terrorist incidents
• regulation, licensing and trading standards –  such as alcohol and entertainment licenses to help maintain public order, food hygiene certification for businesses to prevent food poisoning
• contributing to anti-social behaviour strategies through a range of council services including lighting, street cleansing, planning and leisure
• new governance arrangements for policing and crime strategies including the introduction of Police  and Crime Commissioners and Police  and Crime Panels.

We are achieving greater devolution for local government through our lobbying work on:

• Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Policeand Crime Panels
• reducing metal theft
• gangs, civil disturbances, and anti-social behaviour tools and powers
• a flexible, cost neutral and locally-set license structure
• emergency planning policy and strategy
• fire and rescue services issues.

We are helping councils tackle their challenges through:

• supporting councils to prepare for the election of police and crime commissioners
• supporting the fire sector through the Local Government Resource Review and working with the sector on resilience issues
• lobbying for sustainable funding for Community Safety Partnerships and promoting their role in reducing crime
• developing materials to assist councils with specific angles of community safety such as domestic violence and partnership working
• representing local needs as Government examines the delivery of business regulation
• alerting, supporting and representing councils as changes to alcohol, entertainment and other new licensing regulations are introduced, including impacts of the Olympic and Jubilee celebrations

Our safer communities offer to member authorities includes our:

• community of practice – our online space for community safety practitioners to share best practice and events, identify and discuss policy areas – a one-stop-shop for
• desktop reviews – critical, low-cost evaluation of your Community Safety Partnership's key documents by volunteer accredited practitioners from your own sector
• mentoring programme - a peer mentoring network that provides low-cost, sector-led expertise and support to Community Safety Partnerships, as critical friends or buddies 
• peer challenge – a challenging but supportive team process drawing on the experience of peers and best practice to help community safety partners improve how they deliver outcomes to make local communities safer and make partnerships more efficient and productive
• publications – including guides on Police and Crime Commissioners and Panels and improving fire services
• events – including conferences on licensing, fire, metal theft and understanding vulnerability
• Twitter profile – whereby you can link to our latest activity, contacts and news through our live updates

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15 February 2012