Safer Future Communities event: Supporting partnership working between the police and voluntary sector

Safer Future Communities and the Association of Chief Police Officers teamed up in June 2012 for an event titled, Matchmaking policing with third sector partners, how will the new partnerships and commissioning arrangements work? The event brought the police and the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector together to discuss partnership working and commissioning arrangements in the new policing landscape.

This event highlighted the good partnership working between the VCSE, police and other statutory bodies working in community safety that has resulted in positive outcomes for local community safety issues. It explored opportunities for further partnership work and funding arrangements in the future.

The event included presentations from Deputy Chair of the West Midlands Police Authority, and PCC candidate, Diana Holl-Allen, as well as senior police commissioning experts from across England. Presentations from the event can be accessed from the Safer Future Communities website here.

Why was this event important?

Due to new changes to police commissioning structures partnership working with the police is increasing important for women’s organisations.

WRC is working as part of the Safer Communities Partnership to support the engagement of Violence Against Women and Girls organisations with new police commissioning plans and to help them to understand what these new changes mean.

 As part of government reforms, the Home Office is reforming police commissioning processes to connect decision-making with local communities.

They will be introducing locally elected Police Crime Commissioners, which will replace Police Authorities from November 2012, to work in partnership with local community organisations.

 The Police Commissioners will have responsibility for:

• Appointing the Chief Constable (CC) and holding them to account for the running of their force
• Setting out a five year Police and Crime Plan (in consultation with the CC) determining local policing priorities. Setting the annual local precept and annual force budget 
• Making community safety grants to other organisations aside from the CC (including but not limited to Community Safety Partnerships).

Therefore it is essential that equalities organisations are engaged in the changing landscape.

Over the next coming months WRC will be hosting a range of regional events and producing guidance to support women’s organisations engagement with the plans.

To find out more about our work visit our website.

Rebecca Veazey, Policy Officer, WRC