A radical new crime-fighting partnership was launched today in York.

York residents are being promised a safer city by the police, council and a host of other organisations which signed up to the drive in the city today.

The Safer York Partnership aims to improve the quality of life for people in the city by tackling crime across the board and also by addressing the causes of crime.

Under the new Crime and Disorder Act police and councils are to be given new powers to stamp out unacceptable behaviour.

Committing his force to the campaign, the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire, David Kenworthy, said the police now had curfew orders which allowed them to deal with children under ten years of age.

They also had at their disposal antisocial behaviour orders and parenting orders.

"Community safety is more than just crime and crime prevention," he said.

"It is as much about the fear of crime as the reality of crime.

"It is about low-level incidence, yobbish behaviour, damage to property and graffiti.

"It is about dysfunctional families and communities.

"I am particularly pleased to see the emphasis of the Government in tackling causes of crime.

"In my view we should be spending money in the early stages of young people's lives to steer them away from crime rather than spending £24,000 a year in ten or 20 years time to keep them in prison."

A range of agencies including the Neighbourhood Watch Associations, York NHS Trust and North Yorkshire Probation Service are being brought together for the first time to take action to combat crime.

Bob Wood, chairman of the Safer York Partnership and of York Crime Prevention Panel, said: "This new partnership goes way beyond anything we have ever had before in the city.

"The only way we can make a real difference in fighting crime and disorder and fear of crime is for everyone involved to work together." And Councillor Dave Merrett, deputy leader of the City of York Council agreed, saying: "This partnership is not about the council or the police, it is a real partnership - a partnership solely for the city of York and its residents.

"But we can only do this with the active support of all sections of the community."

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