About us

Police and Crime Standards Directorate

We have made important changes to the way we help support and manage the government’s goals on policing and crime.

The Home Office has developed a more coherent approach to the assessment and review of policing performance and to the assistance provided to Police and Partnerships. The creation of the Police and Crime Standards Directorate (PCSD) in July 2006 was been a major step forward in this development. The Directorate acts as a single source for information, scrutiny and support required to maintain the levels of excellence in Police and Partnership performance needed to continue efforts to reduce crime and increase community safety.

There are six units in PCSD that draw on the experience and expertise of a number of professionals including secondees from the police, regional government offices, local authorities and other government departments, forensic specialists, analysts, and other Home Office officials. The Directorate manages a number of successful initiatives and projects and it is the crime reduction community that share the benefits of these.

The units

The Performance Framework & Assessment Unit develops tools that measure and analyse data on a regional and national level.

The Police and Partnership Standards Unit is a new unit created because of the increasing emphasis placed on partnership working to reduce crime and anti social behaviour and the need to work with the extended police family in order to achieve this.

The Offender-based Interventions Unit specifically targets Persistent and Prolific Offenders of all ages to break the cycle of criminal behaviour. This unit includes the Drugs Interventions Programme, as well as initiatives to tackle those offenders whose alcohol problems drive criminality.

As part of the implementation of the wider Home Office Reform Plan, the new Local Delivery Unit was created. The Local Delivery Unit works across Government to bring about improved local delivery.

Underpinning the work of the directorate as a whole is the Business Support Unit by providing all the necessary support in terms of human resources, finance and procurement. It also facilitates marketing and communications by acting as the focal point of contact for all units of the directorate.