ALL ASPECTS of City of York Council's work are to go under the microscope during a major review of the effect they have on reducing crime and disorder in York's communities.

The review has been approved by senior councillors, and is a response to section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act, which requires local authorities to consider the crime and disorder implications of their work.

Sue Poole, the council's senior partnership support officer, said: "This is about the council itself. It is not about saying we have not got a section 17 policy, but we have realised the council has a potentially large impact on crime and disorder in the way it carries out its work."

Ms Poole said council officers would work closely with Safer York Partnership (SYP) on the review, with SYP's crime reduction manager playing a leading role.

She said: "An example of an area that could be looked at is street cleaning. If the streets are very dirty that can make people feel unsafe. It does not necessarily mean crime will happen, but it can affect how safe and secure people feel.

"Another example is how quickly we repair faulty lights in car parks. Repairing them quickly means car crime is less likely, meaning the repair has impacted on crime.

"It is a way of checking where things are having a good impact and where the impact is not so good. We can then make changes in any areas a bad impact is found."

Ms Poole added: "The council does this already, this process is about providing evidence of areas where things could be done better. It is not like we are starting from scratch."

The review was approved last night at a meeting of City of York Council's executive member for community safety and the advisory panel.

Updated: 11:53 Wednesday, December 11, 2002