ABSTRACT
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Crime and disorder are inevitable realities of society, affecting all of the populace either directly or indirectly. Their formal control has traditionally been the responsibility of the police. Increasingly, recent years have seen the control of crime and disorder, in England and Wales, charged to a range of both nationally and locally governed agencies. The requirement to minimize community problems through tackling crime and disorder issues was formalized in the Crime and Disorder Act [1]. The Act formally introduces the creation of multiagency Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) within each local authority area. A legal obligation
was placed on these CDRPs, particularly the local authority and police, to work in tandem to develop, publish, and implement three-year strategies to tackle crime and disorder. The production of an informed crime and disorder strategy relies heavily upon an in-depth local community safety audit, which provides a snapshot of crime and disorder-related issues, a further stipulation of the Act. Each audit, consisting of multiagency data and community consultation, attempts to encapsulate the community dynamics within a given area. In addition, the Act stipulates the necessity to work with other key agencies, including the health authority (Sections 5-7, Crime and Disorder Act 1998 [1]), while Guidance recommends the expansion of the partnership to business and voluntary sectors.
