Government Offices make a regional contribution to the Government’s aim to build a safe, just and tolerant society, protect the public and ensure the balance between the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities is properly maintained. Government Offices also deliver the four key themes of the National Drug Strategy.
More information on the national picture
Government Office for the West Midlands work includes supporting 32 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and 14 Drugs Action Teams in the region to reduce people’s experience and fear of crime, address concerns about drugs and create safer, stronger communities and ensure those issues feature within Local Area Agreements and CDRP plans.
At the centre of this work are the Hallmarks of Effective Practice which have been introduced for CDRPs to check their own effectiveness and to identify areas of improvement.
Hallmarks of Effective Practice
Partnership working has contributed to a sustained fall in crime over the past ten years. However, the landscape in which Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships deliver has changed considerably since legislation was first introduced in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Working with stakeholders the Home Office carried out a formal review of the partnership provision of that Act. The suggested improvements were reflected in the Police and Justice Act 2006, and in subsequent regulations, which came into force on 1 August 2007.
The new statutory requirements form part of the Hallmarks of Effective Partnerships, which have been informed and influenced by stakeholders. These represent the key aspects of partnership working that underpin effective delivery through partnerships. Partnerships use them to check their own effectiveness and to identify areas of improvement. The six Hallmarks of Effective Partnerships are:
Empowered and Effective Leadership.
Visible and Constructive Accountability.
Intelligence-led Business Processes.
Effective and Responsive Delivery Structures.
Engaged Communities; and
Appropriate Skills and Knowledge.
For further information on guidance for effective partnerships please visit the Home Office’s web site.
West Midlands Region Standard Data Sharing Protocol - For further information please see the below link.
Latest news (February 2008): Three-year Action Plan on violent crime
The Home Office has published its Violent Crime Action Plan, Saving lives, reducing harm, protecting the public (accessible via the internet link below). It is the first of its kind to focus on serious violence.
The Action Plan includes a package of actions to tackle serious violence, including warning youngsters about the dangers of weapons and spotting those at risk of committing serious violence to stop them in their tracks.
The Plan also sets out what the Government, together with police and local agencies, will do over the next three years to cut homicide, knife crime, gun and gang-related crime and sexual and domestic violence.
