What future for the Local Crime Reduction Strategic partnerships under an elected PCC

In the 1998 Crime & Disorder act there was provision in Section 5 & 6 to set up Crime reduction partnerships with Local Government, Police, Fire Service and other interested parties.  In my own area we have the Safer Arun Partnership.

Community Policing

But under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011  the role of elected PCC's was created and the money that goes to pay for the Local Strategic Crime Reduction Partnerships will go the the elected Police & Crime Commissioner rather than the local District, Borough or Unitary Council, so what future is there for these partnerships under an elected PCC. It's a legitimate question to ask of any candidate standing, whether they will continue to fund these partnerships.

My view is that there is scope for reform, at the moment every District or Borough Council have their own partnership, crime does not respect borders and it seems wholly sensible to consolidate partnerships over greater areas of say 3 or 4 District Council area's, this would reduce the partnerships in Sussex from 13 to about 4 or 5. This would save money and allow the PCC to support these valuable partnerships with money from the PCC budget.

We could also include such items as rough sleeper initiatives into the responsibilities of the partnerships, so the answer to the question I posed earlier in this article is yes if I was elected as Sussex's PCC I would support the Crime Reduction Partnerships, but not in their present form.