Set against a neighbourhood's geography and residents' concerns and lifestyles, a profile should provide a clear description of local problems. To maximise re-use of data, profiles should be compiled from data currently used to identify crime hotspots and to monitor known offenders. Compiling a profile involves two key steps to produce the most complete assessment of the quantitative and qualitative information that is available.
- Stage one involves desk-based research to produce and summarise current agency information (quantitive and qualitative).
- Stage two involves adding frontline workers' qualitative knowledge to the summary produced in stage one.
A good understanding of residents' concerns about neighbourhood issues is vital for local agencies and CDRPs. Local agencies have data about crime and anti-social behaviour through CDRPs, but only about resident concern where data exist. Few CDRPs have the resources to undertake robust surveys of residents' opinions in every neighbourhood. Most CDRPs have access to information about neighbourhoods that is factual and representative about incidents, but less so about household type and resident opinion.
A neighbourhood profile cannot replace the collective knowledge held by local agencies. A profile does however, draw together key information in one place in a form that is useful to all agencies. The process of compiling a profile should improve information sharing and use between local agencies.
| Neighbourhood and value for money profile |
| Geodemographic analysis of household composition and location in the neighbourhood |
Analysis of neighbourhood incident data that produces a risk profile |
Analysis of people’s concerns and priorities |
Analysis of resource allocation, activity and performance |
Source: Audit Commission
Neighbourhood profiles need to be underpinned by thorough data analysis, which should support both strategic and tactical service planning and delivery. Local agencies could obtain better value from analysis by commissioning reasoned forecasts of risk that are based upon rigorous assessment of the data. While forecasting requires careful use, the information it provides usefully informs service planning activities such as options appraisal.
Compilation effort and resources
Compiling a comprehensive neighbourhood profile draws upon data and knowledge held by each local agency – a task that is best undertaken collaboratively. Aspects of agency policy and process may need negotiation, which makes the compilation task itself highly useful in improving a CDRP's performance. The work to compile profiles lends itself to a small multi-agency team.
The compilation team will need a leader and facilitator. The team leader and facilitator should have the CDRP's authority to negotiate agency policy and process, in order that the team has unfettered access to relevant agency data and knowledge. To compile an accurate and complete assessment of the resources being deployed within a neighbourhood, councils, police and other CDRP partners need to pool the information they hold.
The following is a summary of the resources used and effort expended by the Audit Commission to compile the example profiles. This information should aid local agencies to plan the compilation of neighbourhood profiles.
Profile section |
input days |
| Estimated minimum resource (FTE1) |
Estimated effort |
| Geodemographic composition of the neighbourhood. |
0.5 Manager
1.0 Researcher
1.0 Data analyst |
} 3 days |
| Incident data and assessment of risk for the neighbourhood. |
0.5 Manager
1.0 Researcher
1.0 Data analyst |
} 10 days |
| Analysis of people's concerns in the neighbourhood. |
0.5 Manager
1.0 Researcher
1.0 Data analyst |
} 5 days |
| Service and resource use assessment. |
0.5 Manager
1.0 Researcher
1.0 Data analyst |
} 10 days |
| Profile comparison between neighbourhoods. |
0.5 Manager
1.0 Data analyst |
} 1 day |
|
Total input:
|
30 days |
Source: Audit Commission fieldwork and analysis
1 Full Time Equivalent worker.