Community Safety and Criminal Justice Partners

The Act puts in place a flexible framework for the relationship between the PCC and their community safety and criminal justice partners. These include:

• A reciprocal duty to co-operate on the PCC and responsible authorities of Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) in achieving crime reduction outcomes

• A duty for the Commissioner and Community Safety Partners to have regard to each others’ priorities as set out in their respective plans

• The ability to require reports from CSPs about issues of concern

• Authority to call meetings to bring together representatives of any or all CSPs in their area to discuss priorities or particular issues (NB: Not the case in London)

• Ability, on application of the CSPs concerned, to merge CSPs. The Home Secretary's consent would be required where this would cross a force boundary

• Ability to commission community safety work. This could be from a range of partners which may include CSPs.

CSPs across the Hampshire policing area include:

• Local Authorities including:

  • Hampshire County Council

  • Isle of Wight Council

  • Southampton City Council

  • Portsmouth City Council

  • Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

  • East Hants District Council

  • Eastleigh Borough Council

  • Fareham Borough Council

  • Gosport Borough Council

  • Hart District Council

  • Havant Borough Council

  • New Forest District Council

  • Rushmoor Borough Council

  • Test Valley Borough Council

  • Winchester City Council

• Probation

• Health Authorities

• Hampshire Fire & Rescue

• Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue

• Hampshire Constabulary

The Act states that in exercising their functions, the PCC and the criminal justice bodies ‘must make arrangements (so far as it is appropriate to do so) for the exercise of functions so as to provide an efficient and effective criminal justice system'. The legislation names the criminal justice bodies which currently form Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) (Youth Offending Teams, Probation, Prison, Crown Prosecution Service, Courts, Police). There may be a local imperative to include a wider range of bodies such as victims' organisations or defence solicitors.

Hampshire’s Local Criminal Justice Board partners include:

• Wessex Youth Offending Team

• Isle of Wight Youth Offending Team

• Crown Prosecution Service

• Hampshire Probation Trust

• Hampshire Constabulary

• Her Majesty’s Prisons

• Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS)

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