Building a Safer Society Strategy

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A decision made (10/07/2008) regarding: Building a Safer Society Strategy - Annual Report 2007.

Decision Reference: MD-HA-2008-0046
Decision Summary Title :	BASS AR 2007		Date of Decision Summary:	Wednesday, 09 July 2008
Decision Summary Author:	Heidi Sydor Executive Officer		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :			Date of Written Report:	Wednesday, 09 July 2008
Written Report Author:	Gill Hutchinson Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, HAD		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Building a Safer Society Strategy, Annual Report for 2007
Decision(s): The Minister approved the Annual Report for 2007 of Building a Safer Society Strategy, and requested the Greffier of the States to arrange for it to be placed before the States as a Report.
Reason(s) for Decision: The report has been circulated to the Council of Ministers, and the Minister for Home Affairs wishes that the Report be presented to the States on 15th July 2008.
Resource Implications: There are no resource implications to the Home Affairs department resulting from this decision.
Action required: The Executive Officer, Home Affairs, to request the Greffier of the States to place the Annual Report before the States on 15th July 2008.
Signature:		Position: Minister for Home Affairs
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Building a Safer Society Strategy - Annual Report 2007.

Report

Home Affairs Department Report for Minister
Subject:	Building a Safer Society Strategy (BaSS) Annual Report for 2007
Exempt Clause:	N/A	Date:	Wednesday, 09 July 2008

Author:	Gill Hutchinson Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Home Affairs

Introduction:

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the BaSS annual report which has been circulated to the Council of Ministers and the Corporate Management Board for their information.

Background:

The BaSS Annual Report 2007 provides an overview of the work of the Community Safety Partnership and its partners in the voluntary and private sectors, in relation to crime, anti-social behaviour and substance misuse. The strategy takes an holistic, harm reduction perspective. It may be harder to measure than straightforward enforcement measures, but this multi-faceted approach is now beginning to bear fruit. In particular the report demonstrates that the work that is being undertaken outside of the criminal justice process, for example engaging with communities, raising awareness and diversion into positive activities, is having a significant effect on people’s quality of life.

On the whole it is a very positive report; overall levels of recorded crime are down and more people feel their neighbourhoods are safer. Community participation in making their own environments safer has been demonstrated very successfully by the Safer St Helier Community Partnership with their award winning Q-Safe Taxi marshal scheme. Results from the Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire (HRBQ) show children in school years 6, 8 and 10 were more likely to abstain from alcohol than their counterparts in the UK, and the HRBQ is now being used to help inform future health related strategies. Outcomes from an evaluation of the opiate substitute programme show that there was an overall improvement in the key protective factors against substance abuse such as social relationships and physical and psychological well-being with a consequent decrease in criminality

Recommendation:

That the BaSS annual report be presented to the States for member’s information.