Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Audits & Audits & Strategies Toolkit

Audits 'Discussion' section

Audits and Strategies home > Audits and Strategies Audits - Discussion section

Here are some suggestions for information that you could include under the heading 'Discussion' in your audit:

Use the 'Discussion' section to:

You should also consider:

Explain progress since the last strategy

You should include:

  • a review of progress since the last crime and disorder strategy or partnership drugs plan

  • information from the monitoring and evaluation frameworks established in the last audit and strategy round to highlight what worked well and not so well in the last round

You can find more information about effective monitoring of audits and strategies in the 'Monitoring and Evaluation' section of this toolkit.

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Explain the main findings from the audit

You should include:

  • a logical summary of the main findings from the audit including the main issues in relation to crime, disorder and substance misuse and the main characteristics of these issues

  • possible explanations for these findings 

  • attempts to integrate the findings into relevant theories where possible. Here are some examples of theories.

  • simple predictions, based on the findings of the audit, around the ways in which local crime, disorder and substance misuse trends may fluctuate in the future and any influence these may have on shaping your strategy

All Drug Action Teams (DATs) will have access to the Home Office’s Drug Treatment Demand Model, which estimates demand for treatment based on the flow of persistent drug users into treatment from the criminal justice system and community referrals. There are plans to develop the model further with the aid of a small number of DATs.

Find more information on methods for predicting future crime patterns at Partnership Working. 

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Areas that may require special attention

You should include:

  • the foundations for developing priority areas for the strategy but you should not pre-empt decisions around strategic priorities

  • clearly articulated criteria that responsible authorities and partnerships can use to compare the different crime and disorder and misuse of drugs issues identified by the audit.  This will help you decide on your strategic priorities

  • information about how the identified crime and disorder issues measure up against the chosen criteria

For drugs, strategic priorities are set against key performance indicators (KPIs) and the performance management framework for drugs is set out in the Performance Management Resource Pack. However, decisions around local priorities (which will need to be agreed with GOs in accordance with the performance management framework) will also come out of the audit process.

Find out more about comparison criteria can be found in Auditing Crime and Disorder: Guidance for local partnerships (1998) p. 21-22

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Areas that may need further investigation 

You should include:

  • a brief discussion about areas that the audit identified as being of interest and warranting further work or investigation outside the audit process.  This work should also be included in the partnership's planning process.

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Lessons learned through the methods used in the audit 

You should include:

  • consideration of the lessons learned as part of the audit process, which can be applied in the next round of audits.  Look again at the data you used and the analysis that was carried out in the audit and think about:

    • Did the data collection, processing and analysis work how you wanted it to?

    • How were the data collection, processing and analysis stages related to one another?

    • Was any data collection, processing or analysis unnecessary or unused?

    • How can the process be improved next time?

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Review existing crime and disorder reduction and misuse of drugs work

You should include:

  • a review of existing crime and disorder and misuse of drugs work.  Consider these questions:

    • Are crime and disorder and drugs issues  considered within wider policy making in partner agencies?  
      For example, is the consideration of crime and disorder and misuse of drugs issues reflected within agency planning processes?

    • Are some current high priority crime and disorder needs unmet?

    • How will the needs highlighted within the strategy be funded?

  • a summary of resources currently allocated to crime and disorder reduction and misuse of drugs work

  • information about the key performance indicators (KPIs)/measures. These are linked to the National Drug Strategy (NDS) outcomes, individual policy area outcomes and Public Service Agreements (PSAs) of relevant responsible authorities. The KPIs are embedded in government department’s performance management and inspectorate systems to make sure that responsible authorities consider fully the misuse of drugs in their planning processes.

  • whether the strategy and supporting plan are  co-ordinated and prioritised effectively in a single local process to bring together all the aims of the Drug Strategy and all other relevant agenda

  • whether you have considered the guidance in the Performance Management Resource Pack on the formulation of strategies

  • whether all relevant KPI , QUANTA and other relevant statistical data can be applied to the strategy

  • whether performance on previous planning can be applied to devising the current strategy

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Develop draft priorities for the strategy

You should include:

  • the draft priorities for your strategy.  It is difficult to focus effectively on too many primary objectives, the optimal number of priorities for a partnership may be between 5 and 7 but it is for partnerships to decide, in negotiation with their Government Office for the Regions or National Assembly for Wales

  • for drugs, strategic priorities are set against KPIs and the performance management framework for drugs is set out in the Performance Management Resource Pack. However, decisions around local priorities (which will need to be agreed with Government Offices in accordance with the performance management framework) will also flow from the audit process

  • an explanation of the rationale for singling out the draft priorities for action.  Some examples of criteria that may influence decision making include whether:

    • The issue represents a significant proportion of total crime

    • The issue represents a larger proportion of crime than in comparable areas

    • Rates are higher than in comparable areas

    • The issue is increasing faster than other issues, or faster than in comparable areas

    • The costs related to the issue are high for victims

    • Victims belong to especially vulnerable groups

    • The public are anxious about the issue

    • There is something that the partnership can do about the issue

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Consult on the findings of the audit and draft priorities

You should include:

  • the consultation, carried out in accordance with the processes presented in your 'Methodology' section

  • the feedback from the consultation, used appropriately to help shape your partnership's final strategic priorities

  • a clear demonstration of the links between the consultation on the audit and the development of the strategy 

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Merging the "Findings" and "Discussion" sections  

You should consider:

  • whether it would be appropriate to combine the Findings and Discussion sections of your audit report.

It is acceptable to discuss the findings from your audit in the same section where you present them so you could combine them and use the heading "Presentation and Discussion of the Findings".   

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Referring to the Crime Statistics Tool 

You should consider:

  • The Home Office Crime Statistics Tool, which is an internet based tool for the public. 

    This tool enables anybody, with access to the internet, to find out about levels of crime in their local area. When consulting on the findings of the audit, partnerships may want to cross refer to this.

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Last update: 10/03/04

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