Safer Future Communities

 
Safer Future Communities Logo
 
 

 

Introduction

The government has announced plans to replace Police Authorities with directly elected police and crime commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales.

Voluntary organisations and community groups need to be prepared for the arrival of PCCs and the establishment of the Police and Crime Panels, positioning themselves to have voice and influence in the setting of the PCC’s local community safety priorities, and accessing any service delivery / partnership opportunities that arise in the new commissioning landscape.

The Safer Future Communities project has appointed local support and development organisations to lead the way in providing a strategic voice for their local VCS and influencing elected police and crime commissioners as well as other local Criminal Justice System commissioners. In the East Midlands, One East Midlands has been appointed to provide this role in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire, and Voluntary Action Leicestershire has been appointed in Leicestershire.

Through One EM and VAL, the local VCS will have the opportunity to advise the new PCCs on wider community engagement, through effective local networks and partnerships, in order to influence the PCCs’ emergent commissioning agendas on crime and community safety.

The Safer Future Communities project will be delivered through a strategic partnership led by Clinks, the infrastructure charity supporting organisations working with offenders. The other partners are the Women’s Resource Centre, Drugscope, National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS), working with their partner Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services (CWVYS), National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NACVA) and Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA).

 

What’s happening?

The Government has committed to replacing Police Authorities with directly elected PCCs in England and Wales. The introduction of PCCs will have a considerable impact on local authorities and there will be a mutual duty on PCCs and community safety partnerships to cooperate.

PCCs will have five main responsibilities over their four year terms of office including:

  • Appointing the Chief Constable and holding them to account for the running of their force
  • Producing a five-year Police and Crime Plan setting out local policing priorities
  • Setting the annual policing precept component of local authority Council Tax, and the annual police force budget
  • Cooperating with the Criminal Justice System in their area
  • Working with partners and funding community safety activity to tackle crime and disorder by making grants to other organisations, including but not limited to the Community Safety Partnerships in the police force’s area.

 

How can the VCS get involved?

The Home Office wants to work with particular types of organisations, including the VCS, to prepare and plan for the changes ahead, not only in relation to PCCs but also the changing commissioning landscape in the wider Criminal Justice System.

These are local support and development organisations and groups and organisations providing specialist services across the six Home Office community safety issues of crime, anti-social behaviour, re-offending, substance misuse, violence against women and girls and youth crime.

This programme will support the creation of new sub-regional networks across 41 Police Force Areas, 37 in England & 4 in Wales, and also offer support to already established networks wishing to engage with this initiative.

Networks, including the four run by One EM, will engage with PCCs and other local CJS commissioners to promote the role of the VCS sector in local and regional community safety activities. They will also be able to demonstrate issues of local need and highlight local priorities and represent the most marginalised and vulnerable individuals in society.

The purpose of the networks will be to advocate for the sector, influence PCCs and support capacity building and to bring together key VCS organisations that reflect Home Office priorities and local community issues to ensure decisions and agendas set by the PCCs are devolved to a local level in keeping with the Governments’ localism agenda.

If you would like further information on or to join one of the networks One EM is running in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire or Nottinghamshire email information@one-em.org.uk or telephone 0115 934 8471. Members of the networks will receive regular e-bulletins and be able to participate in events and activities.

One East Midlands circulates a monthly e-newsletter with all the latest Safer Future Communities news to members of the four Safer Future Communties networks it is running. Archive issues of these e-newsletters can be downloaded below.

If you are having difficultly downloading any of the above e-bulletins please email our Information & Membership Officer at information@one-em.org.uk who will be able to assist you.

In February 2013, One East Midlands presented each of the elected PCCs in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire with a welcome pack, designed to provide a brief summary of the VCSE in their county and other information that might be of interest, producing in conjunction with members of each Safer Future Communities network. These packs can be downloaded below.

The Safer Future Communities project came to an end at the end of March 2013.

Downloads: 
PDF icon Safer Future Communities Newsletter July 2012
PDF icon Safer Future Communities Newsletter August 2012
PDF icon Derbyshire PCC VCSE welcome Pack
PDF icon Lincolnshire PCC VCSE welcome pack
PDF icon Northamptonshire PCC VCSE welcome pack
PDF icon Nottinghamshire PCC VCSE welcome pack