NCJ Number
195429
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 19-32
Date Published
2002
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews crime-and-disorder audits in Great Britain published following the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act.
Abstract
The review focuses on the audits produced in northwest and northeast England. It used a survey of the partnerships and an analysis of the content and design of the audit documents. The primary aim was to determine best practice and to identify the elements that contributed to it. The 1998 Crime and Disorder Act made it a statutory duty for every local authority and police force in England and Wales to produce crime and disorder audits for their areas. The audits were to be used to identify problems to be addressed in 3-year crime-and-disorder strategies, which were to include crime prevention measures and specific targets for crime reduction. The first round of audits and strategies was published in April 1999, and a second round is due in April 2002. The survey of the partnerships focused on three main aspects of the audit production process. The first aspect involved the types of problems encountered in producing the audit, and the survey considered whether such problems were related to organizational factors, data sources, and data analysis. The second aspect examined involved the level of skills among staff; and the third aspect of the survey addressed the types of public involvement used to inform the audits, along with the way in which the documents were disseminated. Audit documents acquired for the 66 local authorities in the northwest and northeast of England were assessed on a number of criteria concerned with the design and content of the audits. Elements of best practice identified in the audit documents pertained to public accessibility/ consultation, systematic approaches, analysis techniques, mapping, and data sets. 3 figures and 19 notes