Formal Written Communication

‘An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company’s activities throughout the preceding year. Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company’s activities and financial performance.’

Annual reports in the police
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner are required to produce an annual report at the end of the financial year. This report must include an assessment of the extent to which, during that year, proposals have been implemented, and things done, in accordance with the local policing plan. In the report it includes how much they have spent within the year and whether they have balanced there budget or not, also a percentage of the crime levels, the statistics of various different crimes and whether or not they have increased or decreased from the following year. Also actions put in place to reduce crime and how they carried out that. Also there priorities for the year; there main focus on what to improve, in the Cumbria Constabulary there priorities of the year in 2012 were to balance their budget, identify public priorities to support decision-making and guardianship of people who work for them. Below is a pie chart of what the money was spent on throughout the year, this is included in the annual report.

‘The auditor’s report is a formal opinion, or disclaimer thereof, issued by either an internal auditor or an independent external auditor as a result of an internal or external audit or evaluation performed on a legal entity or subdivision thereof’

Audit reports in the Police
In an audit report they should firstly start off with writing an executive summary, giving a short abstract of the important issues that’s included within the report. For example, arriving at callouts within the recommended time limit. Then it needs to be stated whether it is a response to concern, complaint or national guidance. Then state the aims and objectives and the question being asked of the audit report. You then need to do the methodology of the audit, there needs to be sufficient information to understand what they have clearly done. Then they must state the results, this includes statistics, pie charts and percentages. This can be from questionnaires, for example, the person who wrote the audit report could have given questionnaires to people who recently requested assistance from the police. They then need to write a conclusion, which should include recommendations and action plans as to how the service could be improved.

This is a special commission put into place to examine social and governmental problems. They are independent reports that keep the service in question up to the standard expected by both public and parliament. In the Prison Service:

Since 1 April 2013, the majority of inspections are unannounced and follow up the recommendations of previous inspections. The inspections are scheduled proportionate to risk. Inspectors assess progress made and undertake in-depth analysis of areas of serious concern identified in the previous inspection, particularly those regarding safety and respect. Some inspections are announced and the prison is informed in advance of the visit. Prison inspections normally last around two weeks, with two days of preparation and research during the first week.

The Inspector collects information from many sources, which include: the people who work there, those who are imprisoned or detained there, and visitors or others with an interest in the establishment. Inspection findings are reported back to the establishment’s managers. Reports are published within 18 weeks of inspection. The establishment is then expected to produce an action plan, based on the report’s recommendations, within a short period following publication. Within the report they must include whether or not the establishment is meeting the specific outcomes that they need to achieve. They must also write a main summary outlining the main findings in the report under the four healthy establishment areas, which are listed below: Healthy prison area

Subject area
Safety
Courts, escorts and transfers
Early days in custody
Bullying and violence reduction (including care of vulnerable prisoners)
Self-harm and suicide prevention
Safeguarding (protection of adults at risk)
Security
Incentives and earned privileges
Discipline
Substance misuse
Respect
Residential units
Staff-prisoner relationships
Equality and diversity
Faith and religious activity
Complaints
Legal rights
Health services
Catering
Purchases
Purposeful activity
Time out of cell
Learning and skills and work activities
Physical education and healthy living
Resettlement
Strategic management of resettlement
Offender management and planning
Reintegration planning

Each prison needs to ensure that each point in the table is being enforced
and the prisoners are healthy, happy and well looked after.

In the police:
Standard operating procedures combine guidance, information and instruction for officers and staff, which describe in practical terms the work or activity to be carried out to ensure a fair, consistent and reliable approach is taken. Whilst Standard operating procedures set out processes and procedures it is recognised that there will be circumstances requiring action on the part of officers or staff which may require them to have a professional judgement or discretion .In such circumstances officers and staff are expected to act fairly and may be called upon to justify their actions. The standard operating procedures are put in place to ensure that in any circumstance the police know what they need to do and how to go about it.

There are a number of rules, regulations and guidelines by which prisons are run. These are outlined in Prison Service Instructions and Prison Service Orders.

References:

http://www.cumbria.police.uk/Admin/uploads/attachment/files/About_us/Annual_ReportPolicing_Plan/Joint_Annual_Report-Joint_Annual_Report_2011-121.pdf I used this website to help me with the annual report section of my assignment (26/01/2015) http://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/02/4-GUIDE-FOR-WRITING-INSPECTION-REPORTS-_December-2014_-01.pdf I used this website to help me with the HM inspection report section of my assignment (27/01/2015) http://www.met.police.uk/foi/c_policies_and_procedures.htm