Responsible Authorities have a statutory duty to work with other local agencies and organisations to develop and implement strategies to tackle crime and disorder including anti-social and other behaviour adversely affecting the local environment. In Wales, these statutory partnerships are known as Community Safety Partnerships. 

The legislation that enables this work is the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 promotes the practice of partnership working to reduce crime and disorder and places a statutory duty on police and local authorities to develop and implement a strategy to tackle problems in their area. In doing so, the responsible authorities are required to work in partnership with a range of other local public, private, community and voluntary groups and with the community itself.

Section 5 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 sets out whom the responsible authorities are:

• The Police
• Police Authorities
• Local Authorities
• Fire Authorities
• Local Health Boards
• Probation Services

Working with these other partners, the police and local authority will have to adhere to the following cycle of events, each cycle lasting three years:

• conduct and publish an audit of local crime and disorder problems, taking into account the views of those who live and work in their area;
• determine priorities for action;
• devise and publish a strategy which tackles these priority problems, including Objectives and targets;
• monitor progress, fine-tuning the strategy as required.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service has a representatives for each of its ten Unitary Authority Community Safety Partnerships. They are as follows: -

• Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan – Group Manager Neil Brown
• Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taff  – Group Manager Mick Flanagan
• Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent – Group Manager Rob Morris
• Newport and Merthyr – Group Manager Graeme Smith
• Monmouth and Torfaen – Group Manager Andy Petersen