Crime Reduction - Helping to Reduce Crime in Your Area

Information Sources

Audits and Strategies home > Audits and Strategies - Information Sources

Here some more sources of information and guidance on Audits and Strategies.

The views expressed in these reports are those of the authors, not necessarily those of the Home Office (nor do they reflect Government policy).

Use the links provided to access summaries of research or full research documents.

Title: Hotspots and Audits
Author: Home Office
Date Published: 2000

This guidance looks at the methods and purpose of identifying crime hotspots. It contains practical examples, which have been tried and tested by partnerships.

Title: Regional Data
Author: Home Office
Date Published: 1996

This document provides guidance to partnerships on how to capture cross border crimes in their audits.  It also presents the findings of a national study into the extent and nature of such offending and the current police response to it.

Title: Baseline Data
Author: Home Office
Date Published: 2000

Introduces Baseline Data and when and how it should be collected during the audit process.  It also highlights common questions and problems associated with Baseline Data.

Title: Role of Elected Member
Author: Home Office
Date Published: 2002

This guide outlines the important role Elected Members have in both gathering information for the audits and developing strategies.

Title: Contracting Issues
Author: Home Office
Date Published: 2000

This document gives practical guidance on contracting out work on audits and strategies. It includes an analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of contracting and provides advice on how and whom partnerships should contact to contract work out.

This paper looks at how to devise and implement performance indicators appropriately and can be used with its companion paper "On Target: The Practice of Performance Measurement".

This paper looks at how to devise and implement performance indicators appropriately and can be used with its companion paper "Aiming to Improve: The Principles of Performance Measurement".

The costs of crime have become an increasingly important tool for decision-makers concerned with crime and its impact on society. However, the supply of good quality information on costs has not kept pace with the demand for it. This study takes the first steps to addressing this problem.

This briefing note considers the crime and disorder implications of Section 17 of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act.

Title: Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case Studies  
Author: Clarke, R.V. (Criminal Justice Press: New York)
Series: 2nd Edition
No. of pages: 357
Date published: 1997

Introduces Situational Crime Prevention and its opportunity reducing techniques alongside a broad range of case studies

This manual is focused on implementing problem-solving approaches and concentrates on the vital part that analysts play in its implementation. It explains how problem-oriented policing can become more effective by using the principles of "crime science". The information is presented in 55 steps.

Title: Compact Code of Good Practice on Community Groups PDF 184kb
Author: Compact (London: Home Office)
No. of pages: 44
Date Published: 2003

This code of good practice aims to promote a better understanding of the community sector within the voluntary and community sector as a whole and by doing so, aims to have a positive effect on the way the Government relates to community groups through its policies and practices in England. The code includes the main considerations that came out of a consultation exercise that the voluntary and community sector ’s Compact Working Group carried out, as well as best practice from within the Government.

This document gives practical guidance on undertaking a cost-effective analysis. It includes the methodological principles, processes and standards that underpin such an analysis and specifies the key tasks and responsibilities of evaluators. It focuses on the practical issues of how to gather and analyse information on the costs of intervention and how to relate this to outputs and outcomes.

Title: Towards a European Knowledge Base PDF 842kb
Author: Ekblom, P. 
Series: Report - Volume 1
No. of pages: 124
Date published: October 2002

Introduces the 5Is framework, an advanced equivalent of SARA for capturing knowledge of good practice in crime reduction, replicating what works in other contexts and supporting innovation. It sets out detailed steps in crime reduction under 5 main headings: Intelligence, Intervention, Implementation, Involvement and Impact. A summary is also available at the Crime Reduction Website.

This paper has been written for members of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships conducting audits within local areas. It covers the key stages in the auditing process.

This publication is by and partnerships and agencies that seek to improve public order and public satisfaction with their communities. It outlines a set of guidelines and principles, based on a review of practice by CDRPs that can demonstrate positive outcomes in relation to Anti-Social Behaviour and consultation with young people on their perceptions and priorities around Anti-Social Behaviour. The guidance takes account of situational and developmental crime reduction measures and sets out how young people and communities will benefit from work that involves them in designing and delivering services.

Crime reduction strategies are the core of the work of local crime and disorder reduction partnerships. This briefing outlines the stages of strategy development and implementation, and guides partnership members through them.

This study aimed to ascertain broadly the nature of voluntary and community sector involvement in the audit and strategy formulation process. It examines the relative costs and benefits (to both partnerships and individual agencies) and makes practical recommendations to optimise the involvement of the sector in partnership working.

Comprehensive review of crime reduction activity examining the implementation of the Crime and Disorder Act and the support provided by both national and regional government.

Title: Guidance for Local Partnerships on Alcohol-related Crime and Disorder Data PDF 104kb 
Author: London: Home Office
Series: Development and Practice Report 6. 
No. of pages:10
Date published: 2003

This report provides guidance to local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships on how best to gather and utilise data on alcohol-related crime and disorder. Specifically, it focuses on the collection and analysis of alcohol-related crime and disorder data within the context of conducting audits under the terms of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act.

Practical guidance for partnerships on fulfilling the requirements of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. It is focused on the most frequently raised questions and draws on examples of good practice.

Title: National Drug Strategy Performance Management Framework. Resources Pack PDF 231kb
Author: Home Office
No. of pages: 88
Date published: 2003

A resource pack setting out the new Performance Management Framework that takes effect from March 2004. It aims to reduce bureaucracy and focus on results and outcomes in delivering the National Drugs Strategy.

Title: Self-Assessment Framework for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and Drug Action Teams  
Author: Home Office 
Date published: 2003

The Home Office has developed a combined self-assessment framework (SAF) which will assist Crime and Disorder Partnerships and Drug Action Teams) to judge how they are performing as a partnership. Undergoing a self-assessment is a recognised method of identifying strengths and areas for improvement in organisations, businesses and public bodies. The SAF consists of a form, accompanying guidance on the process and prompts to assist partnerships in completing the form.

This "passport" is recommended as essential reading for anyone new to the field of crime reduction and provides a useful source of reference for the more experienced. It examines what is meant by crime reduction and looks at the problem-solving tools and processes that are the foundation of the profession. It contains a case study allowing the user to put new skills into practice.

A flexible guide to the basic techniques used to monitor and evaluate crime reduction projects containing exercises to stimulate thinking around the issues.

Practical web-based guidance for partnerships on fulfilling the requirements of the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act.

This paper looks at the importance of partnership working and evidence-based crime reduction strategies, providing guidance on how to develop these areas.

A review of research around how the structures and practices of Police Forces can facilitate effective crime prevention. This report was written to support the HMIC publication "Calling Time on Crime"

You can obtain a copy of this publication by sending your name, full postal address and the title of the publication to:

RDS Communications Development Unit
Room 264,
50 Queen Anne's Gate,
London,
SW1H 9AT.
United Kingdom.
Email: publications.rds@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

This document examines a number of key issues that arose concerning the measurement of inputs in the cost-effectiveness evaluation of the Crime Reduction Programme and provides guidance to follow when collecting and processing input resource information.

Social, economic and demographic factors can impact on crime and disorder. This briefing note details the family groupings of CDRPs that have been developed in order to aid comparisons of CDRPs on a like-with-like basis.

CDRPs have a statutory duty to consult on an audit of local crime and disorder. In response, the Home Office commissioned research in 1999 to identify good practice in the consultation undertaken by partnerships to meet the requirements of the Act. The findings of this research enabled the Home Office to offer guidance to partnerships undertaking consultation in the future.

An overview of the contents of audit and strategy documents produced by CDRPs in 1999, providing an insight into the activities of partnerships in the early stages of implementing Section 6 of the Act.

This report aims to provide the police with guidance on one particular area of Crime Pattern Analysis: Local Crime analysis. The term ‘Local Crime analysis’ has been coined to describe the analysis at a local level (typically divisional or sub-divisional) of high volume crime - including burglary, theft of/from motor vehicles and criminal damage.

This report describes the results of an examination of problem-solving in crime reduction, conducted by the Home Office. Information for the study was collected as part of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary thematic study of Crime Reduction, a follow-up to 1998’s ‘Beating Crime’. It involved responses to questionnaires and visits to police forces.

This is the second edition of ’Crime in England and Wales' bringing together statistics from the British Crime Survey and the numbers of crimes recorded by the police. It provides a comprehensive account of the latest patterns and trends in the main high volume crimes.

Title: National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS): an analysis of the impact on recorded crime. Companion Volume to Crime in England and Wales 2002/2003. Part One: The national picture PDF 275kb
Author: Simmons, J. Legg, C. and Hosking, R. (London: Home Office).
Series: 31/03
No. of pages: 40
Date published: July 2003

Variation in recording practices had made comparisons between police forces and, indeed, national estimates of the level of crime difficult to measure accurately. The Home Office has for some years sought to improve the consistency of police crime recording. This report describes the latest attempt to bring about substantial improvements in this area: the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS).

Title: National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS): an analysis of the impact on recorded crime. Companion Volume to Crime in England and Wales 2002/2003. Part Two: Impact on individual police forces PDF 7mb (large file)
Author: Simmons, J. Legg, C. and Hosking, R. (London: Home Office).
Series: Online Report 32/03
No. of pages: 98
Date published: July 2003

This report is the second part of the Home Office summary of the impact of the NCRS in England and Wales in 2002/03. Part One (referenced above) provides the full details of the background, methodology, national findings and the conclusions. This part provides a summary of the NCRS impact on each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales.

Title: Young People and Community Safety: developing a strategy PDF 6mb (large file)
Author: Warburton, F. Butler G. and Kennedy, J. (London: GOWM/NACRO).
No. of pages: 2002
Date published: 40

This guide outlines aspects of young people’s experience of crime that need to be taken account of in any comprehensive attempt to achieve safer communities. It seeks to signpost good practice and puts forward recommendations for action for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in their efforts to effectively respond to the needs of young people.

Title: The Economic and Social Costs of Anti-Social Behaviour: A Review PDF 420kb
Author: Whitehead, C.M.E. Stockdale, J.E. and Razzu, G. (London School of Economics and Political Science).
No. of pages: 61
Date published: October 2003

The report aims to provide a framework for assessing the costs of anti-social behaviour (ASB); to integrate available estimates of cost into that framework; identify key knowledge gaps; and advise on the use of proxies.

Last update: Wednesday, July 23, 2008