Home Office Research Report 45 - Information sharing aimed at reducing violent crime: A survey of Community Safety Partnerships


Summary
Main report

This report describes findings from a survey of Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) across England and Wales on the extent and nature of information sharing arrangements that were introduced to prevent and reduce violence and other crime types. The questionnaire investigated the types of information sharing arrangements in place, CSP’s understanding of and adherence to the legislative framework surrounding data sharing, and levers and barriers of effective data sharing.

The findings suggest that, at the time of the survey (late 2009), arrangements involving the sharing of either anonymised or personalised data were being widely used by CSPs to prevent and reduce crime. In general, personalised information sharing arrangements were perceived to be working effectively. In comparison, some anonymised information sharing arrangements – particularly the sharing of data on assault related attendances at Emergency Departments - may require further development in order to become widely effective tools for violence and crime reduction.