Audit Commission

Summary [Download full report below this summary]

Achieving community safety became a statutory requirement under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. This sponsored the creation in 1999 of 376 statutory local community safety partnerships throughout England and Wales. Each partnership is required to conduct a triennial audit of crime and disorder within its area, consult the local community on the findings, and then deliver a strategic response. Organisation of this work is a specific responsibility of councils and the police. The first community safety strategies covered the period 1999-2002. A second crime and disorder audit took place during 2001, in preparation for new strategies covering the period 2002-05.

The purpose of this report is to review the performance of those local agencies that have been engaged in delivering community safety since 1999. It also explores the key issues facing community safety partnerships as they develop and implement strategies for the period 2002-05.

Included in this report:

• Community safety in context
• How well are community safety partnerships performing?
• Delivering improvements in community safety
• Bringing it all together

Get the full study 

Download the full national study in PDF format below. This study contains all our findings and recommendations.

National report ( PDF, 808kb )

Briefing ( PDF, 135kb )

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To order hard copies of this report, please call 0800 50 20 30 or email ac-orders@audit-commission.gov.uk