Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs)
Under Section 5 of the Crime and Disorder Act and Section 97 of the Police Reform Act 2002, the statutory responsibility to tackle local crime and disorder obliged the police, local authorities, fire authorities, primary care trusts and other partners to form partnerships and work with other organisations. The most strategic level partnership is known as the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) or the Community Safety Partnership (CSP), and typically has the following structure:
Typical CDRP structure
At a strategic level all the responsible authorities named by the Crime and Disorder and Police Reform Acts are involved in setting and monitoring the strategy, deciding on priorities and allocating resources to different projects. These projects are then managed by all the agencies involved in the partnership, the work being allocated to multi-disciplinary taskforces, each focusing on a priority area of work.
The responsible authorities are required to work in co-operation with agencies such as:
- probation
- parish councils
- NHS Trusts
- NHS Foundation Trusts
- proprietors of independent schools
- governing bodies of an institution within the further education sector.
Responsible authorities are also required to work closely with Drug Action Teams in two tier local authority areas and have developed integrated working arrangements in unitary authority areas. They are also expected to invite a range of local private, voluntary, other public and community groups including the public to become involved in the delivery of community safety in local areas.
However, all partnerships don’t work in the same way. At a strategic level additional agencies might be included, and work might be allocated and managed differently. Some partnerships are quite small, with only a few people working directly to them, while some have large teams of seconded and permanent staff working directly to the partnership.
Agencies Involved in CDRPs and what they can contribute
As we mentioned earlier, although there are some statutory responsible authorities, there are many agencies involved in partnerships to varying degrees. The table below lists some of these agencies, what they contribute and what benefits they receive from being involved.
|
Agency |
Role and function |
Contribution to partnership working |
Relationship to CDRP |
Benefits gained from partnership working |
|
Police |
Prevent and detect crime Tackle the fear of crime Work in close partnership with the community Use latest technology |
Information and intelligence Enforcement Resources (both staffing and financial) Experience of ‘what works’ |
Statutory partner Policing plan in line with CDRP strategy Involvement at strategic and operational levels |
Sharing of responsibility for victims Additional resources Holistic responses to long-term problems |
|
Police Authority |
Independent body Challenges and ensures accountability Sets police budgets Appoints senior police managers Sets local policing priorities Monitors police performance Publishes annual policing plan Aims to provide best value |
Community consultation Manages and facilitates strategic changes Coordinates Force policies and protocols |
Statutory partner Can provide resources Strategic involvement |
Develops local community initiatives Allows for ‘joining up’ of partner strategies Involvement of delivery of aims at local level Gains better understanding of local crime problems and offers context to how policing can best be delivered |
|
Local Authority |
Delivers services to meet the needs of local communities |
Vast range of resources and expertise |
Statutory partner Work of CDRP embedded within |
Additional information on problems in local communities |
|
including: Social Services |
Close links to neighbourhoods through service |
planning and delivery of services Strategic and long |
Sharing of resources Opportunity to work with partners to |
|
|
Education Leisure and recreation |
delivery and elected members Ability to deliver |
term focus |
deliver full packages of responses Multi-agency |
|
|
Youth services Environment |
responses across departments Provision of data |
perspective in local policy making |
||
|
and planning Community safety |
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|
Fire Authority |
Ensure local fire service is efficiently and effectively managed Promote fire safety Provides fire and rescue services Sets budget for fire service Determines strategic direction |
Manages and facilitates strategic change Use of equipment and personnel in interests of community |
Statutory partner (Police Reform Act 2002) Provides opportunity to join with other agencies in local initiatives |
Raising awareness of non-accidental fires Sharing of information contributes to levels of intervention and preventative initiatives Forging of strategic and joint initiatives |
|
Appoints Chief Fire Officer |
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|
Monitors work of fire |
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|
and rescue service |
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|
Probation (National Offender |
Assists courts in sentencing decisions Provider of |
Management of key offenders in local community |
Statutory partner Aims of CDRP and probation service |
Partners to support the delivery of reparation |
|
supervision and rehabilitation of offenders |
Expertise on causes of offending Programmes to |
are similar in that both aim to reduce offending by targeting |
programmes Joining up of strategies relating to |
|
|
Works with adult offenders National Offender |
tackle offending behaviour Working in |
the most persistent and prolific of offenders |
victims and offenders Access to funding to diversify or develop |
|
|
Management Service merges Probation and prison services |
partnership setting targeting persistent and prolific offenders |
local programmes |
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|
(NOMS) |
