Community Safety Partnerhips and Substance Misuse Action Teams
Setting the context: Community Safety Partnerships and Substance Misuse Action Teams
Community Safety Partnerships (CSP) were established following the Crime and Disorder Act (1998). The Act emphasised the importance of working in partnership as well as a holistic approach to tackling crime and disorder. In Gwent there are five CSPs with whom DIP works closely. These five areas are Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Newport, Monmouthshire and Torfaen.
The Act also placed responsibility for addressing crime and disorder and its wide-reaching effects on the local community, on a number of public sector organisations.
The CSP statutory partners are:
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Gwent Police
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Local Authority Council
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South Wales Fire Service
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Local Health Boards
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Gwent Police Authority
In order to deliver its responsibility, the CSP must carry out an audit on crime and disorder every three years. This is then used to identify key priorities for partnership activity. However, the CSP must take into account other national and local strategies when agreeing priorities and targets for community safety.
Since April 2004, CSPs have had a statutory responsibility to deliver local substance misuse services. This is achieved by joint working at a local level with the creation of Local Substance Misuse Action Teams (LSMAT). These teams are made up of key statutory, voluntary, private sector agencies and service users as well as representation from partners in the CSP. The team develops a Substance Misuse Action Plan (SMAP) to implement its goals. Each CSP has a Substance Misuse Lead Officer who is responsible for the implementation of the SMAP.
For example, within Newport the structure of the CSP and its links with the SMAT are shown on the diagram: