Safer Future Communities

Download the briefing for young people - February 2012

The project

The Safer Future Communities project aims to support the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sectors to engage with the changes to community safety and crime reduction associated with the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners in November 2012 in every Police Force area in England and Wales (except London).

The project is led by Clinks in partnership with NAVCA, WCVA, NCVYS and CWVYS and Drugscope and Women's Resource Centre.

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs)

In November 2012, a Police and Crime Commissioner will be elected in 41 of the 43 Police Force areas in England and Wales. They will not only replace the existing Police Authorities and take on the role of scrutinising the Police Force, they will take on new responsibilities, e.g. community safety.

They will have significant powers to decide Police priorities - through a 5-year Police and Crime Plan - and to set the Police budget and, if they wish, they can commission work to other partners, e.g. voluntary organisations.

PCCs will be elected by the public for a four-year term and will be required to publish an annual report which reflects performance against their plan.

Police and Crime Panels

PCCs will be scrutinised by a new Police and Crime Panel, made up of councillors for each of the Local Authorities in the Police Force area, plus other co-opted members. The Panel will scrutinise the Commissioner, not the Police Force or any other commissioned service.

Opportunities offered by PCCs

The purpose of having elected PCCs is that they will be accountable to the electorate for their priorities and their performance. They will have a statutory duty to consult with the public and to work in partnership with the Community Safety Partnerships in their patch and other partners in community safety and criminal justice.

The elections themselves will provide an opportunity for a public debate about the effectiveness of different approaches to crime and community safety which the VCSE can actively participate in and inform. It is hoped that PCCs will also provide a figurehead to promote effective work locally.

Future funding streams for community safety are likely to go through the PCCs, although funding has been drastically reducing and the main central government funds are likely to continue to decrease. The PCCs, though, will have the ability to commission work out to organisations to meet their priorities - this could be the Community Safety Partnerships or other organisations.