Government Office’s for the Regions (GOs) and the Home Office
Central Government, in particular the Home Office, has a role in setting the overall policy and legislation for community safety as well as putting resources into many of the agencies that work within CDRPs. However, central government departments also have a more local role to play through the Government Offices for the Regions (GOs).
The role of Government Offices
The role of Government Offices is to actively support and improve the way Government works in the regions, so that the needs of local communities are met more effectively. Government Offices offer experience and expertise to Whitehall Departments in the development of policy and in the way that policies are best implemented, and they are the primary means by which a wide range of Government policies and programmes are delivered in the English regions.
There are nine regional Government Offices across England. These are based in Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cambridge, Guildford, Bristol and London. There are also several subregional offices dedicated to delivering particular programmes.
Government Offices represent ten Whitehall departments, and are involved in regenerating communities, fighting crime, tackling housing needs, improving public health, raising standards in education and skills, tackling countryside issues, and reducing unemployment. The ten Whitehall departments are:
- Department for Communities and Local Government
- Department for Education and Skills
- Department for Trade and Industry
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Home Office
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Department of Health
- Cabinet Office
- Department of Transport
Bringing together the activities and interests of so many Whitehall Departments within a single organisation makes the Government Offices well placed to join up the delivery of Government policies across the English regions.
Government Offices and community safety
Government Offices make a regional contribution to the Government’s aim to build a safe, just and tolerant society, protect the public, and ensure that the balance between the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities is properly maintained. Government Offices also deliver the four key themes of the National Drug Strategy.
In supporting work to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and the harm caused by drugs, Government Offices work with and monitor the performance of local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and Drug and Alcohol Action Teams, promoting their joint working with Local Strategic Partnerships where appropriate. Government Offices also work with local authorities, the voluntary and community sector, and other local partners in helping to build safer and stronger communities. They support the police in their work with CDRPs to introduce innovative policing practice aimed at tackling the problems within local communities. Government Offices are well placed to provide links between crime reduction programmes and other Government initiatives (such as social inclusion, the regeneration of deprived communities, competitiveness and sustainable development) through local and regional partnership working.
Government Offices play an important role in supporting local approaches to community cohesion and active citizenship. Working closely with local agencies, they ensure that all communities have access to involvement in the delivery of local programmes, and that the causes of inter-community tensions are understood and tackled. They also work to improve the engagement of local agencies with black, minority ethnic and faith communities to promote good practice in planning and delivering services for diverse communities.
Home Office structure
With a wide range of responsibilities the Home Office is one of the largest government departments. The Home Office group is made up of:
- central headquarters - sets goals, develops policy and provides support services
- National Offender Management Service - a new organisation that brings together the prison and probation services
- Immigration and Nationality Directorate - manages requests to live or work in the UK
The Home Office is also responsible for the Police Service in England and Wales and a number of smaller services and public bodies.
Within the Home Office, the Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group (CRCSG) is responsible for delivering some of the Government’s most challenging objectives:
that people are and feel more secure in their daily lives;
- that more offenders are caught, punished and stop offending;
- that victims are better supported; and
- that fewer people's lives are ruined by drugs and alcohol. Within the CRCSG, the Police and Crime Standards Directorate aims to maintain standards of excellence
- in policing, and in initiatives to ensure community safety. The CRCSG focuses on performance and each unit within the directorate has responsibility for different aspects of performance management:
- Performance Framework & Assessment Unit - develops tools that measure and analyse data on a regional and a national level.
- Policing & Community Safety Performance & Policy Unit - reviews these analyses and formulates policy accordingly, developing and monitoring performance goals.
- Partnership Performance Support Unit - works closely with this unit to ensure that the desired performance outcomes are delivered on a regional and national level.
- Police Standards Unit - provides intensive support to police forces and Basic Command Units to help them meet the desired levels of performance. It also runs national policing projects.
- Offender-based Interventions Unit - complements this work by targeting persistent and prolific offenders of all ages to break the cycle of criminal behaviour. This includes the Drugs Interventions Programme, as well as initiatives to tackle those offenders whose alcohol problems drive criminality.
Home Office restructuring
On the 29th March 2007, the Prime Minister announced major changes to the Home Office. It is to be divided and refocused, with the formation of a new Ministry of Justice. The National Offender Management Service (including the Prison and Probation Services), will move from the Home Office to the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 9th May 2007, to form the new Ministry. The Home Office will retain its other existing responsibilities, including for policing, anti-social behaviour, drugs, overall crime reduction, immigration, asylum and identity, in addition to its responsibilities for security and counter terrorism.
The progress of this division, and what it means for community safety will be examined in more detail in the guide that NCSN will produce in the autumn.
