Safer and Stronger Communities

Wednesday November 19th 2008, One Great George Street - London, 09:00 - 16:05

Inside Government's Second Annual Safer and Stronger Communities Event: Safer and Stronger Communities: Working in Partnership, Cutting Crime

“After ten years of sustained investment and progress, we are now moving into a new phase of tackling crime...My vision is of flourishing communities where people are engaged in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, can see and feel the difference that public agencies are making and feel safer as a result. I look forward to realising this vision together.”

Rt Hon Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary, July 2007

Overview

The Government's crime strategy was announced by the Home Secretary in July 2007 and heralded a new phase in tackling crime. Building on the significant reductions in crime in recent years, it set the aspiration to continue to tackle crime and increase public confidence. The Government followed up on this in December 2007, when it updated the National Community Safety Plan, which re-emphasised the Government’s commitment to deliver safer communities through broad based partnerships at both a local and national level.

In March 2008, Gordon Brown continued his government’s commitment to creating safer communities with his ‘policing pledge,’ which saw him promoting community policing "where you know the face of the person that can help you." This has resulted in a neighbourhood policing unit in every community, which came to fruition on April 1 2008. Most recently, the Government released its Policing Green Paper (July 17th 2008): ‘From the neighbourhood to the national,’ which sets out how the Government will build on the achievements of the last decade, working with the police to continue to drive down crime, drive up public confidence, and give local people more information and a bigger say in how their neighbourhood is policed.

Crime continues to blight communities up and down the country, and the continued violent attacks on our streets are a constant reminder that the Government has much to do to both tackle crime in all its forms, and simultaneously reassure a public that remains fearful of its consequences. The Government, through two of its Public Service Agreements (23: 'Make Communities Safer' and 25: 'Reduce the Harm Caused by Alcohol and Drugs') set out for the public and practitioners, the Government’s delivery priorities and how it will measure its aim to create safer and stronger communities.

The last ten years has seen a sustained investment in crime reduction, not only financially but also in terms of expertise, new policy and legislation and a particular focus on delivery. This has led to a reduction in overall crime since 1997, which came on the back of its continued rise throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. However, new challenges emerge, with societal and economic changes, and perpetrators of crime continuing to change the way they operate.

Agenda

09:00	Registration and Coffee
09:45	Chair’s Welcome Address Kai Rudat, Director, Office for Public Management
09:50	Keynote Addresses: The Government’s Framework for Cutting Crime The Government Crime Strategy - 'Cutting Crime: A New Partnership 2008-11' Community Safety Public Service Agreements New relationship between Government and delivery partners Policing Green Paper: "From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing our Communities Together.” Future plans? Julian Corner, Head of Crime Strategy, Home Office
10:15	Rehabilitating Re-offenders– The Socially Excluded Adults Public Service Agreement Encourage prevention and early intervention Promoting joint working Focusing resources Incentivising and driving delivery Encouraging stability of a home and job to help prevent re-offending Focusing on at risk groups to help prevent future offending Vivienne Brandon, Strategic Lead, Social Exclusion, Offenders Group, Ministry of Justice
10:30	Threat Response – Reacting to Criminality Improving the lives of the people it serves to create safer, stronger communities Crime and Disorder – how are we involved? Taking back the community – improving health, safety and well being Tackling the health inequalities and anti-social behaviour in partnership Chris Case, Threat Response Manager, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service
10:45	Reducing Re-offending & the Third Sector Reform of offender services Realising the potential of the third sector in reducing re-offending Reduce re-offending and make communities safer Graham Beech, Director, Catch22
11:00	Questions and Answers Session
11:30	Coffee and Networking
11:45	Reducing Re-offending Through Partnership Achievements to date Punishment and reform Tackling the cycle of reoffending across the pathways Local ownership, local delivery Ben Clark, Head of Reducing Re-offending Programme, Partnerships Unit, Criminal Justice Group, Ministry of Justice
12:00	Tackling Crime, Tackling the Fear of Crime: Crime, No Fear of That! The ‘management’ of Crime and Disorder - target/output driven and outcome imposed Impact of ‘hyper-innovation’ - current and future -on the stable delivery of services Recognising the rapidly changing nature of ‘home areas’ – sustainability, empowerment and cohesion Integrating community engagement and civil renewal whilst recognising ‘socially situated - imperfectly knowledgeable’ issues. Responsive citizen focused services which enable Safer Communities. Martin Davis, Head of Engagement & Partnerships, Metropolitan Police Authority
12:15	Implementing the Policing Green Paper - The Next Stage of Reform Crime and Policing Representatives (CPRs) Strong Support for Neighbourhood Policing New Policing Pledge (with local element) Closer working required with other Criminal Justice agencies Reduction in Bureaucracy and fewer targets Police Leadership Changes to Police Authorities New approach to decision making Statutory duty to collaborate David White, Head, Police Reform Unit, Home Office
12:30	Questions and Answers Session
13:00	Lunch and Networking
14:00	The Tackling Violence Action Plan and the New PSA The Tackling Violence Action Plan and the new PSA Violent crime- a diverse group of offences Homicides and more serious violence Reduce gun crime and gang-related violence Tackle knife crime, particularly involving young people Improve the investigation and prosecution of rape Protect children from sex offenders Share good practice in tackling domestic violence Reduce street prostitution Respond to new challenges Supporting Victims Claire Gipson, Head of Strategy and Delivery, Violent Crime Unit, Home Office
14:15	Preventing Domestic Violence Through Partnership Tackling Domestic Violence and its relationship to other social ills Building on the success of existing domestic violence strategies Delivering long term and effective cultural change Anthony Wills, Chief Executive, Standing Together Against Domestic Violence
14:30	The Role of Education: Changing the Lives of Young People What schools can do to prevent crime and violence? Recognising potential to provide children with a chance to succeed Building educational skills Developing innovative activities and services to improve youth provision Roy Blatchford, Founder and Director, National Education Trust
14:45	Youth Crime: Changing the Culture of our Youth Why so many young lives are being cut short by teenagers? Creating a society where vulnerable children are not being helped quickly enough A criminal justice system that is the first line of defence for dealing with the emotionally numbed individuals that lie behind these crimes What creates the problems we face that do not appear in the textbooks? Investing in social care and mental health Camila Batmanghelidjh, Founder & Director, The Kids Company
15:00	Coffee and Networking
15:15	Questions and Answers Session
16:00	Chair's Summary and Conclusion's
16:05	Close

*programme subject to change without notice*

Exhibitors

Home Office

Audience

The audience will be representative of the diversity of the issue and the stakeholders present will include, community safety teams, police & fire authorities, LSPs, housing organisations, CDRPs, jobcentre plus, drug and alcohol action teams, youth offending teams, town centre managers, transport authorities, neighbourhood wardens, victims support, children’s trusts, ALOs, education authorities, licensing teams, environmental professionals, planning authorities, social inclusion officers, community cohesion officers, schools, local criminal justice boards, prison/probation service, PCTs, central government departments & bodies, unions, academia, the private, legal & voluntary sectors and all those involved in building safer and stronger communities.