Friday, May 16, 2008

THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN COMMUNITY SAFETY

Increasing numbers of people no longer view the safety of their neighborhoods as the sole responsibility of the police. Throughout the world, citizens in areas plagued by crime and violence are uniting to work with local government. Together, they have the knowledge and resources to identify and remove the sources of crime, drug use, and juvenile delinquency in their communities.

Developing and sustaining these partnerships requires strong local
leadership from mayors, city managers, city planners, and other elected local officials. This monograph was prepared to help create that leadership by chronicling how local public officials have used community safety partnerships to build healthier communities. A framework for using community-local government partnerships to reduce crime now exists based on the experiences of public officials in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australasia. This framework includes the following:

• Recognizing
crime and safety as a quality-of-life issue.

• Working across jurisdictional boundaries.

• Recognizing the crucial role of political leadership.

• Developing tools and measures of success that involve the community and victims of
crime.

The programs examined in this monograph illustrate that this framework works best when adapted to the specific needs of a community. Good governance requires that mayors and other key local officials develop the capacity to respond to those needs.

READ ON
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/184218.pdf

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