Crime Audit 2011: National Overview Report

11 May 2012

This is a national overview report produced by HMICS following an assessment of whether Scottish police forces were complying with the Scottish Crime Recording Standard.  Conducted between September and November 2011, the report assessed whether Scotland’s eight police forces and the Scottish Crime Registrars Group had sufficiently robust audit processes to ensure they were complying with the Scottish Crime Recording Standard (SCRS) – the measure used to ensure nationwide consistency in crime recording.

Recommendations:

Number

Recommendation

1

Minimising delays between the report and closure of incidents: All chief constables should ensure that processes are in place for routine monitoring of all incidents, in order to minimise delays between the initial call and the caller being visited or contacted for the purpose of obtaining the information necessary to decide whether or not a crime has taken place.

2

Consideration of the definition of ‘reasonably practicable’: The chair of the Scottish Crime Registrars Group should consider if the term ‘reasonably practicable’ is appropriate and whether a target timescale might help to ensure that victims’ needs are being met.

3

Quality of information recorded on incident management systems: The Criminal Justice Police Reform Team should ensure that information recording is an integral part of any deliberations on developing a single incident management system. Indeed consideration should be given to amending current incident recording guidance to reflect the direction provided by SCRS. The reform team may wish to consider how aspects of the systems currently used by Dumfries and Galloway and Northern Constabularies, both of which are judged to be examples of effective practice in terms of the quality of information recorded, can be incorporated into any national system.

4

Annual refresher training: The chair of the Scottish Crime Registrars Group should produce yearly updates on crime recording in order to help maintain a standard approach across Scotland. The updates should be available to all police officers and staff and contain at the very least an overview of why SCRS and counting rules exist, how they should be applied, what information investigating officers must record in order to satisfy the Standard and information on any changes implemented in the previous year.

5

Standard approach to monitoring incidents and crime recording practices: The Criminal Justice Police Reform team should engage all forces with a view to establishing a national crime audit function to ensure that crime recording standards are at least maintained through the transition period and beyond. In doing so the reform team should consider the variety of approaches that exist, and in particular the importance of staff awareness, local ownership and regular audit to support performance improvement.

6

The future of the Scottish Crime Registrars Group: The Criminal Justice Police Reform Team should carefully consider how the critical area of business of the Scottish Crime Registrars Group will operate under the Police Service of Scotland and how recording standards can be maintained and improved through the transition period and beyond.

Publication type: 
Inspection report