Contact : Jill Lovelock Ext 7591

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That the County Council endorses the Community Safety Strategies for:

East Hampshire partnership
Hart partnership
Havant partnership
Rushmoor partnership

for the period 2002-2005.

2. Reason

2.1 The County Council is a statutory partner, together with the District Council and the police, in each of the 11 District Community Safety partnerships in Hampshire. The partnerships have a duty to prepare local strategies every three years, and County officers and Members have been involved in this process. The key themes and priorities for action are set out in the attached report and the County Council must formally agree the strategies and input to implementing the actions over the next three years.

3. Other options considered and rejected:
Not applicable.

4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or a member or officer consulted - Not applicable.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standard's Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor D Kirk

Contact : Jill Lovelock Ext 7591

1. Summary

1.1. This report recommends endorsing District partnership community safety strategies for East Hampshire, Hart, Havant and Rushmoor. It also identifies the priority themes in the strategies and the role of the County Council in implementing the actions.

2. Background

2.1. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 placed new duties on local authorities to develop crime and disorder reduction/community safety strategies. In two tier areas, the County Council, District Council and the police are equal statutory partners. The partners must undertake a local crime audit, consult on the results, prepare and publish a community safety strategy. The strategies run for three years, and local partnerships are just publishing their second strategies for the period 2002-2005.

2.2. The County Council has been involved in local partnerships through senior managers acting as Link Officers and more recently through Member representation. This has ensured the County Council has taken its responsibilities as a partner seriously and made appropriate input to the new strategies.

3. Strategies

3.1. The County Council needs formally to endorse all eleven partnership strategies, and this decision is included in the Council's forward plan as a key decision. This report deals with strategies from East Hampshire, Hart, Havant and Rushmoor partnerships. Copies of the strategies are held in the Chief Executives Policy Unit.

3.2. In addition to endorsing the strategies, the Council needs to understand and analyse the key issues and priorities in each strategy and ensure that departments build these into their service and action plans as necessary. The County Council has identified six key policy aims in its own community safety strategy and the District partnership strategies need to be analysed alongside these policy aims.

3.3. The Policy and Resources PRC has asked for a report on the partnership strategies and it is suggested that a more detailed analysis is prepared for the PRC to identify common themes across the strategies and priority actions for County departments to support.

4. Key themes and issues

4.1. East Hampshire partnership:

_ fear of crime - to support and develop initiatives designed to reduce the fear of crime and perceptions of urban/rural decay

_ young people and community safety - to support and develop initiatives designed to address the needs of young people and the community

_ hidden crime - to support and develop initiatives designed to reduce the incidence of domestic violence and hate crimes

_ recorded crime - to support and develop initiatives designed to reduce the incidence of drugs, violence, property and car crime.

4.2. Hart partnership:

_ to reduce town centre violence and disorder

_ to promote a sense of well being at home - includes domestic violence, disorder and anti-social behaviour, fire safety

_ to support youth leisure activities and reduce juvenile nuisance

_ to promote social inclusion and community awareness - working with disability, mental health, race, the elderly, young, gay community and minority groups

_ to reduce priority and volume crime - focusing on national priorities of violent crime, burglary, vehicle crime and robbery

_ to reduce crime and disorder caused by drugs and alcohol - targeting supply and demand and improving awareness.

4.3. Havant partnership:

_ reduce crime and disorder and increase public reassurance

_ reduce the involvement of young people in crime and disorder, whether as offender or victim

_ tackling drugs and alcohol abuse and related crime

_ protecting vulnerable people

_ tackling domestic burglary

4.4. Rushmoor partners:

_ to reduce local levels of violent crime by targeting domestic violence and street violence

_ to reduce the fear of crime and increase feelings of safety

_ to reduce drugs and alcohol related crime and criminality

_ to reduce the number of young people who are at risk of offending, committing offences and re-offending

_ to identify and take action in respect of areas of concern and repeat victimisation.

4.5. The common themes emerging so far are:

_ youth crime and youth nuisance behaviour

_ drugs and alcohol

_ fear of crime

_ domestic violence

5. Conclusion

5.1. As other partnership strategies are received, they will be formally reported for endorsement and analysed to identify key themes and issues. More detailed work will be undertaken for a report to PRC outlining how Council departments should be inputting to delivery of local strategies.

Recommendation

1. That the County Council endorses the Community Safety Strategies for:

East Hampshire partnership
Hart partnership
Havant partnership
Rushmoor partnership

for the period 2002 - 2005.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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