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Partnership Values

Making crime a thing of the past means more than enforcing the law. Crime prevention involves making every resident, every community agency, every business and every service a part of the solution. To mobilize communities and develop partnerships is not a task, which can be accomplished overnight. CS&CPC wants to be a catalyst for change. Change can happen if everyone is involved in building community, neighbourliness and mutual respect.

Crime is a complex issue and factors that lead to crime often go beyond the individual to the heart of the community. Partnership approaches need to be guided by values which affirm the importance of the community. There are many benefits to working in partnership. Partnership approaches increase community ownership of the problem and generate broad-based investment in solutions. The capability and willingness to work preventatively become shared and services become relevant and useful to all involved.

Our partnership values are:

1. Empowerment
2. Citizens are and feel encouraged to participate actively
3. Program design, implementation and evaluation are based in the community and have their basis in the community
4. Real sharing of power is distinguished from seeking input into an "expert" plan
5. Bottom-up approaches are encouraged and decision-making is shared
6. Collaboration and comprehensiveness
7. Efforts are cooperative and connected to the community
8. Acceptance of diversity
9. Cultural, economic, and lifestyle differences are respected (we do not know what the lives of others are like until we ask)
10. The special characteristics of individuals or groups are acknowledged
11. Building on strength
12. Strengths and resources are emphasized over and above needs
13. The competence and well-being of everyone involved is actively promoted
14. The importance of the social and community context is acknowledged
15. Attention stays focused on root causes