Seeking a Safer County - Introduction

Reducing levels of crime across the County continues to be a high priority for the County Council and partner agencies involved in making Leicestershire a safer place in which to live.

‘Improving the Quality of Life in Communities’ is one of the key corporate aims of the County Council’s Medium Term Corporate Strategy and Safer Communities is one of the priorities for improving the quality of life in communities.

Reducing crime, therefore, is a high priority for us and our partner agencies, particularly reducing violent crime, domestic violence and hate crime. We also want to reduce anti-social behaviour, reassure the public and tackle the harm caused by illegal drugs and alcohol misuse. We will play our part in delivering priorities identified in local Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategies. We also recognise that providing alternative facilities such as leisure, sports and transport for young people as well as diversionary activities through our multi-agency youth crime prevention strategy plays a part in preventing and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

In addition, the County Council is committed to developing and supporting the emerging Local Area Agreement (LAA). The LAA Safer Communities block, and the associated outcomes and targets, will have a major impact on Community Safety work throughout the County Council and across our partner agencies

The LAA target setting process will firm up our high priority targets for safer communities including those to prevent and reduce youth crime, and these priorities and targets will, in turn, be included in the County Council’s Medium Term Corporate Strategy covering the period from 2006 to 2009. The Community Safety Plan will cover the same three year period and will be updated annually.