‘Perhaps the toughest challenge of all is the critical importance of improving public confidence in our ability to deliver safety and security in our communities’ Jacqui Smith. Home Secretary.

Many thanks to Mark Watson (Cheshire Constabulary ) for sending me the new National Community Safety Plan 2008-2011 and the Ministerial Statement on the provisional police and community safety funding settlement 2008/09 to 2010/11

Firstly the plan, which sees some shifts in emphasis from previous plans.

There is a stronger focus on more serious violence; greater flexibility for local partners to deliver local priorities; a specific outcome to increase community confidence; and the need to reflect the increased threat to communities posed by violent extremists.

The layout of the plan is interesting too, with every section being focused around What does it mean for the public? What does it mean for partnerships? What does it mean nationally and regionally? Nice to see the customer at the heart of considerations.

The word count facility provides the material for the ‘really useful guide to what gets mentioned a lot’.

At number 2: Partners/Partnership

No. 3 Police

No. 4. CDRP/s

No. 5. Target/s

No. 6. LAA’s

No. 7. LSP

No. 8. Police Authority

No. 9. Local Authority

and at No.10. Commissioning

At Number One and top of the shop: Community/Communities (well it is the National Community Safety Plan !)

The Home Secretary’s key strategic priorities for the Police Service (SPP’s) for 2008/09 are set out in the plan. They are:

SPP1. Reduce crime in line with the national PSAs (23 and 25), including focusing on more serious violence (particularly involving the use of firearms and other weapons), serious acquisitive crime (particularly prolific and other priority offenders and drug misusing offenders), alcohol-related crime and disorder, and anti-social behaviour.

SPP2. Increase public confidence in and satisfaction with the police through an emphasis on the quality of service provided to the public.

SPP3. In line with PSA 24, work in partnership to deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive CJS for victims and the public.

SPP4. Work jointly to ensure that adequate capability and capacity exists across England and Wales to deliver effective policing to tackle serious and organised crime and to provide other protective services.

SPP5. In respect of counter-terrorism and violent extremism in line with CONTEST and the counter terrorism PSA, work with and through local communities as appropriate to disrupt terrorists and their operations; protect key sites and people going about their daily lives; deter those who facilitate terrorism; stop people from becoming or supporting terrorists or violent extremists; and be prepared to respond to a terrorist attack and its consequences.

All the current favourite issues feature. The integration of Neighbourhood Policing and Neighbourhood Management is pressing ahead, better information provision ‘ to ensure that local crime and other community safety information is made available to all communities on a monthly basis by July 2008’,  the emerging importance of commissioning of services and of course, the role of the Third Sector: ‘The third sector makes a vital contribution to keeping communities safe. CDRPs should consider actively engaging local third sector organisations – not only as potential partners in delivering services and solutions, but also in helping to shape those services and solutions’.

Now to the funding.

The Plan is clear that ‘The Police Service should see resource management as a core responsibility of delivering sustainable improvement’ and there is no let up on that front.

The Ministerial Statement outlines continued funding in the short term for the Crime Fighting Fund and the BCU Fund and ring fencing for Neighbourhood Policing is maintained.

Within the general grant provision of 2.7%, a funding floor has been set at 2.5% in each of the CSR years. This means that each police authority in England and Wales is guaranteed an increase of at least this level in each year. Inflation is I believe, currently running around 1.8%

Interestingly, in my travels around the country, I do not often meet any officer who has, or who intends to, read the National Community Safety Plan. Should you be the exception you can find it in the downloads section of this site.

Related posts:

1. Youth Crime Action Plan 2008
2. Participation goes national
3. National Policing Board
4. National Community Safety Plan 2008 -11
5. Look out, look out the PSA’s are out