Home Office's role in reducing the risk of violent crime considered

While the British Crime Survey and police crime figures indicate that violent crime has fallen in recent years, serious violence remains a significant influence on people's fear of crime. Recent estimates found that violent crime costs society approximately £13 billion a year, of which around £4 billion is borne by the National Health Service (NHS) and Criminal Justice System.

The Home Office recently shifted its priorities from focusing on reducing overall volumes of violent crime to reducing the most serious violence as these offences cause the most harm to victims and to society.

Findings include:

• The Home Office has been effective at raising the profile of domestic violence and alcohol related crime.
• The Home Office has not yet managed to successfully address barriers reducing the effectiveness of crime prevention activities at a local level, such as poor data-sharing within Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.
• The Licensing Act 2003 enables local areas to tackle alcohol related violence but there is variation in the extent to which it is being used effectively by local Partnerships.

Recommendations include:

• Setting funding plans for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships at least three years in advance so that Partnerships can plan strategically.
• Supporting better data sharing within Partnerships to enable them to focus on factors most likely to increase violent crime in their area.
• Raising awareness amongst Partnerships and the police about how the Licensing Act has been used successfully in some areas to reduce alcohol related violence.

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