Legislation
Mainstreaming Community Safety How & When to Implement
Mainstreaming Community Safety - How & When to Implement
When does Section 17 need to be implemented?
Although many local authorities have not yet begun to execute Section 17 because of competing priorities, it cannot be put off indefinitely! Non-compliance could leave an authority vulnerable to legal action. In any case, the time is ripe because of the interaction between Section 17 and the 'modernising agenda' for local government.
How does Section 17 fit with the modernising agenda?
An imaginative implementation of Section 17 will achieve much more than just compliance with statutory obligation. The approaches outlined in this paper can help ensure that initiatives to create safer communities
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have lasting effects,
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offer good value, and
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are responsive to public concerns
Thus, they complement other local government reforms such as best value, community consultation/accountability and the emphasis on ‘joined-up’ thinking. Moreover, in some instances, time and money could be saved by combining processes; for example, responding to Section 17 could go hand in hand with carrying out the fundamental performance reviews required for best value (see the box 'Section 17 and Best Value' later in this briefing).
Are there different ways to implement Section 17?
Yes, Section 17 could be interpreted in a number of ways. In this paper, we suggest three possible 'levels' of implementation, illustrated with community safety roles and responsibilities of different departments, and good practice mainstreaming approaches to tackling particular crime problems
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The
highest level means treating crime and disorder reduction as a 'whole organisation' activity and supporting it at corporate level. -
The middle level is mainstreaming in individual service areas - that is, building a commitment to reducing crime and disorder into individual departments’ mainstream activities.
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The minimal level involves having mechanisms in place to check that crime and disorder implications are considered whenever policies and service developments are approved.
Communities will reap the most benefits if ALL relevant agencies in crime and disorder partnerships commit to implementing Section 17 in their own organisations in one or more of these three ways. This is the widest interpretation of what Section 17 sets out to achieve.
In the following sections we will consider these three levels of implementation, starting with the most basic.
> Next section: The minimalist approach
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Last update: 17/08/03