Key Priorities for 2006-2009

Medium Term Corporate Strategy (MTCS)

Through the County Council’s new MTCS, we have identified the following key activities and priorities:

Work with the Police Authority to put extra Police Community Support Officers on the beat in Leicestershire and to review and develop their effectiveness in tackling low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in communities;
Campaign at national level for the rights of those subject to criminal behaviour;
Support the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Community Safety Programme Board in implementing a strategy to target the relatively small number of prolific offenders responsible for the highest proportion of crimes;
Identify those children and young people most at risk of offending and ensure that individual plans are put in place to prevent it;
Intervene through our Youth Offending Service at an early point in the lives of children and young people who become involved in crime and provide rigorous supervision to reduce their offending;
Work to stamp out under-age sales of alcohol, knives, fireworks, solvents and aerosol paint spray cans to help reduce anti-social behaviour

Local Area Agreement (April 2006 - March 2009)

The Safer Communities Block of the Local Area Agreement contains 7 priority outcomes, along with a set of indicators and targets (see Appendix 3). These have been drawn from the 3 national PSA outcomes, common priorities identified within the 7 District based Crime, Disorder and Drugs Reduction Strategies and priorities identified by partner agencies and other stakeholders at the Leicestershire Together LAA conference held in June 2005.

The outcomes, indicators and targets, and particularly the outcome delivery plans, are still under development but will be incorporated into the MTCS priorities when they are finalised and the overall LAA is signed off in March 2006.

The County Council plays a leading role in supporting the development and subsequent implementation of the overall LAA. The Cabinet lead member for community safety acts as the Leicestershire Together Board champion for Safer Communities, whilst the County Council’s Chief Executive is one of the chief officer champions. The Head of Youth Justice and Safer Communities is one of the lead officers undertaking the detailed work on the safer communities element. The governance arrangements for the Safer Communities block of the LAA can be found at Appendix 4.

The main ways in which the County Council will contribute to achieving the outcomes are outlined below.

Outcome 1 – Overall Crime Reduction (Outcome Lead – Police)

This focuses on reducing overall crime in Leicestershire and has been developed in line with local CDRP agreements to contribute to the national PSA1 target to reduce crime by 15% by 2008. There is a specific focus on reducing violent crime, a recognised priority across the county, including hate crime and domestic violence.

This outcome also includes a proposed Reward Target to reduce the proportion of reported Domestic Violence incidents which are repeat incidents. As a reward target the aim is to achieve a higher level of performance in this area than would have normally been achieved.

Leicestershire County Council’s areas of contribution to this are particularly in the reduction of Domestic Violence and Hate Crime through the work of the Community Safety Team and the Racist Incident Common Monitoring Project regarding these two areas. Social Services, Education* and the Youth Offending Service also have important roles to play in these two areas, through their work with children, young people and families, and vulnerable adults and those with disabilities. In addition, Street Lighting maintenance schemes can make a contribution to reducing crime.

Outcome 2 – Reduction in Offending by Prolific and Other Priority Offenders (PPOs) (Outcome Lead - Probation)

This outcome specifically focuses primarily on reduction in offending by adult PPOs i.e. the relatively small number of offenders who are responsible for a high proportion of crime and cause the most harm to local communities. It also includes a proposed Reward Target to reduce levels of re-offending by PPOs.

The work of the Youth Offending Service with Prolific and Priority Young Offenders contributes to this outcome and the overall objectives of the PPO Strategy by ensuring that enhanced supervision is provided to those young people categorised as PPOs, as well as those at risk of becoming PPOs, although it does not contribute specifically to the indicators in relation to adult PPOs.

Social Services* will contribute to Local Offender Management Panels for PPOs as part of the re-settlement and rehabilitation strand of the PPO Strategy. The DAAT is responsible for the development and implementation of the Drugs Intervention Programme which is crucial to reducing the drug habits of many PPOs.

Outcome 3 – Reduction of Anti-Social Behaviour (Outcome Lead – Police)

This outcome aims to tackle the low-level crime and disorder in communities that has a significant effect on the quality of life and fear of crime of individuals and communities as a whole.

This will be affected by a number of important developments including the introduction of the multi agency (including the County Council) Single Non-Emergency Number (SNEN) and the enhanced engagement with priority neighbourhoods through neighbourhood policing.

Key areas of contribution by Leicestershire County Council include;

With the support of District Councils, the funding of 28 additional Police Community Support Officers in 2005/6 with the aim of increasing this to 50 in 2006/7.
Trading Standards work with partners to stamp out illegal under-age sales of alcohol, fireworks, knives, aerosol paint sprays cans and butane gas lighter refills.
The early intervention work of Youth Inclusion and Support Panels (YISP), which will include intervention targeted at anti-social behaviour.
Targeted detached Youth Service work and other resources through the Youth Crime Prevention Budget to develop youth crime prevention initiatives

Outcome 4 - Reduction in Harm caused by Illegal Drugs and Alcohol Misuse (Outcome Lead – Leicestershire County Council / Leicestershire DAAT)

With regard to illegal drugs this outcome focuses on increasing the numbers of problematic drug users in treatment and an increase in the seizure of Class A drugs. Work is still needed with regard to reducing the harm caused to communities by alcohol misuse to develop specific indicators and targets.

Leicestershire County Council’s key area of contribution to this is through the work of the Leicestershire DAAT in commissioning drug services, oversight of the Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) and hosting the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy Group.

Trading Standards also has a role to play as highlighted above in regard to under-age sales of alcohol whilst Social Services will also contribute through work with children and families and vulnerable adults. The Youth Offending Service screens all young people who offend in relation to substance misuse and ensures that timely interventions and treatment are provided where needed.

Outcome 5 – Youth Crime Prevention (Outcome Lead - County Council)

This outcome is shared with the Children & Young People block of the LAA and the target to reduce the risk of further re-offending by young people who have received a Reprimand is part of a broader vulnerable children prevention target proposed as a Reward Target within that block.

The contribution of the County Council to this outcome is specifically led by the Youth Offending Service. Assisted by additional funding from the Youth Justice Board, we will build on the existing County Council and Children’s Fund funded YISP arrangements to extend parenting work, tackle ASB and provide enhanced preventative programmes for those children and young people most at risk of offending.

Outcome 6 – Improving Public Confidence and Reassurance (Outcome Lead – Probation)

This links with many of the above outcomes in that effective work to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and drugs issues will positively impact upon public confidence and reassurance.

Again the resources allocated to PCSOs will be a key part of the County Councils contribution to this outcome as will the involvement in effective multi-agency work to reduce crime, disorder and drugs issues. Trading Standards and Social Services, through their work with older people have a role to play regarding doorstep sales and distraction burglary. Street Lighting maintenance schemes also give an important contribution to reassurance and reducing the fear of crime.

Outcome 7 – Reduction of Vulnerability in Priority Neighbourhoods (Outcome Lead – Melton Borough Council)

This outcome highlights the commitment to joint working in communities and priority neighbourhoods. There is strong link with the developing Neighbourhood Policing Strategy has a key role to play in this and a County Councillor now sits on the Neighbourhood Policing board. Most County Council services will contribute to this outcome through their work in local neighbourhoods.

*In line with Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004 it is planned that a Children’s Services and an Adult’s Services Department will be formed from the relevant sections of the Education and Social Services Departments from April 2006.