This essay will look at critical elements in a local crime prevention strategy and the players who are involved in them. It will look at the inter agency co-operation that is required, who would be involved in funding, and the key stake holders and how to formulate a crime prevention strategy. Several examples will be used to highlight differences and adaptations.

When examining crime prevention, one must always first examine as to what is crime and how can it be defined. There are many definitions that can be considered a crime. A formal legal definition states that crime is that if the State says it is (legislation). A social perspective states that crime is harm at both the criminal and civil wrong. A Cross-cultural universal norm argues that crime is universal unless there is a label stating it is criminal on the action. Finally, human rights approach believes that a crime is anything that violates human rights regardless of the legality of the action. (Haines Etal, 2005)

With this in mind, then the act of crime prevention may be allowed to begin and be undertaken. As with any form of action plan, there needs to be solid concrete foundations in place to allow the various interested agencies to operate within their guidelines and have clearly identifiable goals at hand. Without this core understanding and purpose, any plan no matter how complex and well thought, will inevitably fail, due to the strains placed upon it, by the non-understanding of directions and purposes of the agencies that are required to fulfill their obligation. Failure of one agency to integrate and achieve its objectives may actually lead to failure of the whole plan. (Crawford, 1998)

Therefore, at the beginning of the formation of the crime prevention body, it will need to have an action plan manual, which clearly designates the strategy that will be put into place. All programs must take on the outlook of its modeling using the risk management style approach.  This will state objectives, both strategic (longer term) and tactical (fast short term adjustments, also referred to as situational responses), targets, which include the offenders the strategies profile, funding requirements, resource allocations and what is required by each of the participates that has been incorporated into the plan. There are a massive variety of entities that can be incorporated, from social welfare groups representing ethnicity differences, religious and socio-economic to private enterprise. For clarities sake, this essay will concentrate on the basic major players. The manual will need to identify the agency required, namely that of the Police, government agencies both ministerial and sub-agency, civilian groups, possibly health and medical and private enterprise and business groups. It should be noted with the utmost of understanding, that no stand-alone agency can enact an action plan on its own. No one group is specialized enough to be able to identify, allocate funding and resources and the follow up requirements to prevent repeat offending, therefore, quite clearly and evidentiary, a model of interagency co-operation is required, with a primary organizational and management hub (Lab, 2000) (Attorney Generals Crime Prevention Manual,)

Inside the action plan the listed agencies will need to be identified and have their role easily identifiable. For example, the support of legislation will mainly fall upon the Police service, for this agency has been granted legislative powers of detaining, search and seizure as well as formal arrest and charging. The Police, as an agency also have specialist employees who direct objective is to catch criminals and minimize crime. Police officers are the foremost player in regards to this aspect and should be considered as the primary response to being in the field in the apprehension of criminal activity. Business lobby groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the like, will play a more tertiary roll in the funding of the action plans objectives and liaise with the shops and businesses in the area to minimize the chances of crime, such as theft and bring their actual awareness up to a certain degree that is required to minimize the crime being repeated or expanding. Local council should be the management hub and directional center in regards to the issuance of orders and parameters and objective targets, for the reason being they are the most easily identifiable entity that has good working knowledge of the area they represent and the people whom they represent in a democratic society. They also have the ability to pass resolutions in the changing of the environment of the area and control CPTED objectives in their charter. (Demographic positioning) (Blagg Etal, 1998)

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The action plan will also have secondary players being involved, which include the NSW State Treasury who are the State Governments bankers. It is they and they alone who control the movement of funds for all State Government decisions. They and they alone also inform the government if a request for funding can and cannot be achieved, so having the treasury department onside is a major beneficial ingredient. Also playing a critical secondary support roll is the Department of Community Services (DOCS), Courts, larger private enterprise, schooling institutions and community health centres. When assigning task management, the local council ...

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