(1)    The Secretary of State may by order divide Northern Ireland into areas and establish for each area a body with functions relating to the enhancement of community safety in the area.

(2)    Bodies established by virtue of subsection (1) are to be known as local community safety partnerships; but the Secretary of State may by order—

(a)    provide that they are to be known by another name, and

(b)    make appropriate consequential amendments in this section or in any other enactment or any instrument or other document referring to them (whenever passed or made).

(3)    A local community safety partnership is to consist of such number of persons nominated by such organisations exercising statutory functions as the Secretary of State may by order specify; and “statutory functions” means functions conferred or imposed by or by virtue of any enactment.

(4)    Each local community safety partnership must—

(a)    conduct research to ascertain the issues which people living or working in its area consider ought to be addressed in order to enhance community safety in the area and how they consider that those issues ought to be addressed,

(b)    having regard to the results of such research and the current strategy under section 71, prepare plans for addressing those issues and other issues which it considers ought to be addressed in order to enhance community safety in its area,

(c)    identify targets or other indicators by reference to which it can assess the extent to which those issues are addressed by action taken in accordance with the plan,

(d)    provide any such financial or other support as it considers appropriate to persons involved in ventures designed to enhance community safety in its area,

(e)    make to the Secretary of State no later than three months after the end of each financial year an annual report describing how community safety has been enhanced in its area in the financial year by action taken in accordance with its plans, by persons to whom it has provided support and otherwise, and

(f)    make to the Secretary of State, no later than three months after being required by him to do so, a report on any matter connected with its functions.

(5)    “Financial year” means—

(a)    the period beginning with the day on which the local community safety partnership is established and ending with the first 31st March which falls at least six months after that day, and

(b)    each subsequent period of 12 months beginning with 1st April.

(6)    The Secretary of State must publish or require a local community safety partnership to publish—

(a)    any plan prepared in pursuance of paragraph (b) of subsection (4), or

(b)    any report made under paragraph (e) or (f) of that subsection.

(7)    The Secretary of State may by order—

(a)    amend subsections (4) to (6), or

(b)    confer or impose on local community safety partnerships other functions relating to the enhancement of community safety in their areas.

(8)    The Secretary of State—

(a)    may by order confer or impose on any body specified in the order functions relating to the enhancement of community safety in Northern Ireland or any area of Northern Ireland, and

(b)    may by order impose on any body specified in the order a duty to co-operate with local community safety partnerships, or a particular local community safety partnership, in the exercise of the body's functions.

(9)    The Secretary of State may make grants to local community safety partnerships.

(10)    The Secretary of State must consult the First Minister and deputy First Minister before making an order under this section.