The
Beacon Council
Scheme was set up to disseminate best practice in service
delivery across local government. Each year, the government selects
themes for the Beacon scheme.
In 2004, Suffolk County Council's Community Safety Unit (CSU) was
awarded Beacon Council status under the theme “Crime and Disorder
Partnerships”. Of the nine organisations to be given this award,
Suffolk was one of only two county councils.
The CSU was described by the Improvement & Development
Agency (IDeA) as having “ . . . instigated an infrastructure that
drives, encourages and financially rewards the crime reduction
efforts of the individual CDRPs through a strong two-tier
structure. They use strong systems for dissemination of information
and a standardised approach to many countywide initiatives, with
county-based co-ordinators taking the lead in many areas”.
The CSU was recommended in particular for excellence of practice
in:
Its locality arrangements, which is a way of working which cuts
across the usual departmental and directorate boundaries. Its
specialist work, which includes:
- expertise in crime mapping and analysis of crime
- a Racial Harassment Initiative
- a Suffolk Street Wardens scheme
- an Anti-Social Behaviour Network
- countywide domestic violence project
If you would like to visit us or any of our initiatives, please
contact Sue Burstall,
sue.burstall@csu.suffolkcc.gov.uk,
or telephone 01473 264288.