Useful resources

• The Audit Commission has produced brief guidance for community safety partnerships on communicating with and involving key organisations. This advice is available from the Audit Commission website (http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk.)

• The theme of the Spring 2001 Criminal Justice Matters was ‘Crime and the media’. It includes articles on how media reporting influences public perceptions of crime, case studies of how crime reduction agencies have used the media to get their message across and some suggested communications strategies. Details from: Criminal Justice Matters, The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, King’s College London, 8th Floor, 75–79 York Road, London SE1 7AW; (www.kcl.ac.uk/ccjs.)

• The Drugs Prevention Advisory Service has developed a Drug Communications Pack to help members of Drug Action Teams plan and implement communications. Although aimed at drugs agencies, much of the material is transferable to the work of community safety partnerships. This advice is available from the Crime Reduction website (www.crimereduction.gov.uk/drugsalcohol26.htm).

• The Disability Discrimination Act:
  Under the Disability Discrimination Act, organisations have to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, such as providing extra help or making changes to the way they provide their services. Such services include information and communications material. Further information can be found in the section ‘People with disabilities’

• The Race Relations (Amendment) Act:
  The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 imposes a general duty on listed public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote racial equality and good race relations in the carrying out of their various functions. These authorities include government departments, the Scottish Administration, the National Assembly of Wales, the Armed Forces, the NHS, local authorities, governing bodies of publicly funded schools and colleges, the Housing Corporation, Scottish Homes, and police authorities.  These public authorities should take whatever steps are needed to ensure that current policies and practices do not disadvantage any racial groups. The production of communications and information material clearly falls within the general duty imposed by the Act.

• Further information on how to communicate effectively with minority ethnic communities can be found in ‘Connecting with ethnic communities’.