This East Midlands Integrated Regional strategy aims to ensure commitment and co-ordinated action to secure community safety and reduce crime and to support national policies such as the Civil Renewal programme that identifies the need to support community groups to build strong and active communities.

People want clean, green, safe and healthy communities. Sport can play an important role in community-based initiatives to promote this. Sport can also contribute to the development of social capital (citizenship, good neighbourhood relations, trust and shared values, community involvement, volunteering, social networks and civil participation). These are important areas for central, regional and local government.

New evidence is beginning to show the effect sport has in relation to community safety, including reducing antisocial behaviour, reducing the likelihood of people committing crime and reducing the ‘fear’ of crime among the wider community. Sport and active recreation also has a role to play in involving local communities in the process of regeneration and renewal.

For case studies go to our Sport Changes Lives page

Strategic aims

• Make sure sport is considered in the work carried out with disadvantaged communities and high crime areas as an important part of all community safety programmes
  
• To use sport to develop healthy, active communities, and help people at risk to adopt a positive lifestyle for the long term
  

Key actions

• Work with key partners to include sport in regional and local crime-reduction strategies
  
• Encourage key partners to consider sport in the work they do with disadvantaged communities as part of all community development programmes
  
• Support key partners to introduce sport opportunities through local authority Public Service Agreements (PSAs)
  
• Support efforts to develop multi-agency networks that bring together sport, regeneration and neighbourhood renewal agencies
  
• Support and promote programmes using sports that are designed to deliver personal development opportunities such as skills and qualifications, self-respect and confidence, self-esteem and leadership
  
• Promote the role that sport can play in developing the employability and self-esteem of young people, reducing the chances of them offending again
  
• Work with partners in the seven Neighbourhood Renewal Areas to support the delivery of the National Strategy Action Plan through sport
  
• Support initiatives to use sport to direct people at risk away from offending behaviour and bring together communities
  
• Apply the approach taken through the Positive Futures and Positive Activities for Young People programmes in areas of high crime, for example, outdoor pursuits
  
• Support the existing Sport Action Zone areas to make the most of opportunities to improve communities and their safety
  
• Support better ways of gathering and sharing out evidence that shows that increased participation in sport has a positive effect on reducing crime and the fear of crime
  
• Develop pilot approaches to creating safe areas for sport, which encourage relations between and across communities