§ Mr. WicksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 on domestic violence. [72769]
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§ Mr. BoatengTackling domestic violence requires partnership working between agencies in the public, private and voluntary sectors. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 has reinforced the statutory framework under which such partnership working can take place. We have always made it clear that we expect the local crime and disorder partnerships set up under the Act to identify the level of domestic violence in their area and to develop and implement strategies for reducing it.
The first crime and disorder audits and strategies should be in place by 1 April 1999 and are currently being drawn up. It is too early to draw from them any general 559W conclusions, but a number of audits—including Croydon's—have already identified domestic violence as a priority.