Crime Audit: 2016 - Terms of Reference

18 May 2016

HMICS has published terms of reference for our Crime Audit 2016. The aim of this audit will be to assess the state, efficiency and effectiveness of crime recording by Police Scotland and the extent to which recording practice complies with the Scottish Crime Recording Standard and Counting Rules.

HMICS will test the accuracy of around 7,000 incident and crime records, and will assess arrangements for the management, governance and auditing of crime recording. The results of our audit will:

  • provide the public and key stakeholders with information on which to base their assessment of the trustworthiness and validity of crime statistics;
  • highlight to Police Scotland areas of good practice or areas for improvement and/or increased internal audit and scrutiny;
  • assess the extent to which recommendations made in our 2013 and 2014 reviews of incident and crime recording have been implemented; and
  • address the need for comprehensive, independent audits of crime data as highlighted by the UK Statistics Authority.
Publication type: 
Terms of Reference