A massive scheme to tackle crime in the district is launched on Monday.

The trailblazing plan will be watched by the rest of Britain and directly monitored by the Home Office in London.

More than 30 organisations, including Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Police, will link in a push to make the area a safer place to live.

Already more than 200 voluntary groups, 125 schools, 50 businesses and many other organisations have been asked their views on crime and disorder.

Their opinions and ideas will go to the high-powered partnership when it draws up its strategy.

But Home Secretary Jack Straw has made it clear the Bradford partnership should not be merely a talking shop - it must deliver the goods. The Bradford district is one of just 12 towns and cities across England and Wales to pilot Mr Straw's crime-fighting plan.

Chief Inspector Joan Simpson, Bradford Community Safety Co-ordinator, said Bradford had been chosen because the district was forward-thinking in its approach to partnerships.

"We are being seen as trailblazers, but we don't want to be complacent," she added.

The newly-formed Bradford Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership will have direct access to the Home Office.

It will be able to seek advice from a taskforce comprising Superintendent Dan Clacher, of Thames Valley Police, Inspector Alan Edmunds, of the Home Officer Crime Prevention Agency, and Sue Howell, of Birmingham City Council.

The three are regarded as the most experienced people in the country in the field of crime prevention.

The partnership will base its work on the district's first crime audit, which is in its final stages. The strategy will pinpoint between five and seven key priorities - expected to include drug-related offences, youth initiatives and fear of crime, particularly among the elderly.

Each partner will identify what support, financial or other, it will be able to offer in drawing up and carrying out the three-year strategy. The inaugural meeting will be held on Monday at City Hall.

Bradford Council leader Councillor Ian Greenwood said it was important to get the local community involved as much as possible.

Chief Inspector Simpson said there was already a close partnership between police and Council but here was a chance to strengthen and extend it to address problems.

"We know from past experience, such as the partnerships on Ravenscliffe, that a joint co-ordinated effort from all agencies and local people can result in a significant drop in crime and fear of crime," she said.

Community safety policy officer Sharmila Gandhi, of Bradford Council, said the strategy would be a grass roots one, with surveys of crime scenes and linking with partners over problems, which could be as simple as street lighting.

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