The responsible authorities are the police, local authorities, fire and police authorities, health authorities in Wales, and primary care trusts in England (from 30 April 2004).
Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships
Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) are an alliance of police, local authorities and other organisations and businesses, working together to produce and implement a strategy to tackle crime and disorder in their area. Government Offices monitor the work of the CDRPs in relation to national targets, and provide suitable training, support, and guidance to improve their performance.
There are currently 376 CDRPs operating across the country, aiming to:
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Make sure that the partnership’s perception of levels of crime and disorder matches that of local people, especially minority and hard to reach groups
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Devise three-year strategies to tackle those priority problems, which must be kept under review by the partnership
Merging CDRPs and Drugs Action Teams
The police reform White Paper ‘Policing a New Century’ sets out the Government’s intention to bring together CDRPs and Drugs Action Teams (DATs).
The integration and closer working of CDRPs and DATs can significantly improve local delivery of the drugs and crime agendas, as well as reducing local bureaucracy and avoiding a duplication of efforts. CDRPs and DATs may merge to become a single partnership or opt to align existing structures locally.
The Home Office has issued guidance to partnerships on DAT/CDRP integration or closer working.
Community Support Officers
Community Support Officers (CSOs) do not have the same powers as police officers, but are a visible patrolling presence and an effective crime and anti-social behaviour deterrent. They can issue fixed penalty tickets for minor anti-social behaviour, and also demand the name and address of a person acting in an anti-social manner.
CSOs spend much of their time on patrol in communities and can be approached by the public with any questions or worries about anti-social behaviour or crime in local areas. Other CSO powers include being able to confiscate alcohol being consumed in a public place, confiscate tobacco from young people and seize any vehicles that are being used to potentially harm other people.
In six police force areas, a scheme is also being piloted where CSOs can detain individuals for up to 30 minutes while they wait for the police to arrive.
Neighbourhood Wardens
Neighbourhood Wardens have been introduced to provide a highly visible, uniformed, semi-official presence in residential and public areas, town centres and high-crime areas.
Unlike CSOs, Neighbourhood Wardens do not have any police powers. Rather, they are meant to be the eyes and ears of the community, looking to improve the quality of life of an area and help it along the path to regeneration.
As well as providing a link between local residents and key agencies such as the local authority and the police, wardens can also help with efforts to promote community safety and tackle environmental problems such as litter, graffiti, dog fouling and housing.
There are also a number of crime reduction initiatives linked to drugs – information on these can be found in the Drugs section of this site.
