A Community Safety Conference 

Section 17 – Revised Definition and Duties
A focus on revision of S.17 under the Police and Justice Act 2006 
Supported by NCSN (The National Community Safety Network) 
 

Tuesday 6th November 2007
Local Government House, Smith Square, Westminster SW1    

The Police and Justice Act 2006 has refocused the individual contribution of key agencies to the Safer Communities agenda, originally introduced in statute by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The amended definition of Section 17 places specific duties on responsible authorities. It states:

“Without prejudice to any other obligation imposed on it, it shall be the duty of each authority to which this section applies (local authority, police authority, joint authority etc) to exercise its various functions with due regard to the likely effect of the exercise of those functions on, and the need to do all it reasonably can to prevent, (a) crime and disorder in its area (including anti-social and other behaviour adversely affecting the local environment); and (b) the misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances in its area.”

This one-day conference highlights the current development of Section 17 and explores its contribution to sustained crime reduction and its relation to the CDRP reform programme. The conference also explores the development of the new area-based assessment framework and the joint police and community safety assessment framework.