HMICS Crime audit 2026 - Terms of Reference

Introduction

1.          HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) has committed to undertaking a statutory audit of Police Scotland’s crime recording arrangements as part of its HMICS Scrutiny plan 2025-28. Our most recent Crime audit was published in March 2021.

Aim

2.          The aim of this audit will be to assess the state, efficiency and effectiveness of crime recording within Police Scotland, and the extent to which recording practices comply with the Scottish Crime Recording Standard and Counting Rules (SCRS).

3.          This audit will also consider a number of related issues, including;

•  the use of the cybercrime marker;

• crime detection and detection rates;

• crime recording governance, management and audit arrangements; and

• the processes for reviewing and filing completed crime reports. 

Background

4.          Recorded crime statistics are an essential source of information for understanding the nature, extent and trends of crime across Scotland. These statistics support the Scottish Government, local authorities and criminal justice agencies, including the police in targeting resources effectively and developing policies to improve public safety. The public also relies on these statistics to understand crime levels in their local area and stay informed about community safety issues. It is therefore vital that crimes are recorded ethically, consistently and accurately by Police Scotland and that users have confidence in the crime statistics published by the Scottish Government.

5.          The Scottish Government publishes these official statistics through its ‘Recorded Crime in Scotland’ series. The most recent annual publication relates to crime and offences recorded by Police Scotland in 2025-2026; Total Recorded Crime - Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26.

6.         These statistics are assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation as Accredited Official Statistics. This accreditation serves as a recognised mark of quality and demonstrates that statistics have been independently assessed as complying with the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. By undertaking an independent Crime audit, HMICS contributes directly to maintaining confidence in, and supporting the continued accreditation of, Scotland’s recorded crime statistics.

7.          Crime recording practice is governed by the SCRS. The SCRS provides a national framework for determining when an incident should be recorded as a crime, the crime classification that should be applied and how many crimes should be counted. Crime recording should be undertaken in accordance with the Police Scotland Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland. Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the SCRS rests with the Chief Constable.

8.          The 2020 HMICS Crime audit found that Police Scotland’s overall level of compliance with SCRS was generally good exceeding 90%. However, this fell short of Police Scotland’s internal target of 95% compliance. The audit found that 91.4% of incidents had been closed correctly and 90.8% of crime was counted and classified correctly. Significant variation in compliance rates between policing divisions was also identified, reflecting findings from previous audits conducted in 2013, 2014 and 2016. The audit noted a modest improvement in the timeliness of crime recording, with the proportion of crimes recorded within 72 hours of being reported to the police increasing from 90.8% in 2016 to 91.1% in 2020. It also concluded that the absence of a national crime recording system limited consistency in processes and highlighted the need to establish clear business processes to support the anticipated implementation of a national crime recording system.