Summary
"Community Safety Partnerships were introduced through the Crime & Disorder Act 1998 by the New Labour Government as a vehicle to address local crime and disorder issues. They have a statutory footing and the responsible authorities that make up their membership include the Police, Police Authority, Local Authority, Fire & Rescue Authority, Probation Trust and the Health Sector. Through identifying levels of crime and disorder Community Safety Partnerships are required to devise strategies to address these issues along with a range of interventions. Since their inception there have been many changes to these partnerships facilitated largely by the Home Office. Research has been conducted on Community Safety Partnerships however there is an absence in the literature and research on their impact within the community. Along with this gap in knowledge has been a changing political and economic environment. This presents an opportunity to review how community safety can be delivered now and in the future. The purpose of the research was to examine the impact of two Community Safety Partnerships in London and to also identify areas for improvement. The aims of the research were to determine practitioners’ views of the impact of these partnerships in dealing with crime and disorder at the local level and to examine practitioners’ wider perspectives on the utility of these partnerships now and the future. Finally, on the basis of the evidence generated by the research it makes recommendations for improvements in the work of Community Safety Partnerships."--Abstract.