Practical Skills
PROCTOR Problem, Cause, Tactic or Treatment, Output and Result
PROblem, Cause, Tactic or Treatment, Output and Result (PROCTOR) is an acronym devised to enhance the SARA model by emphasising the importance of analysis throughout the problem solving process, not just in the second phase. There is also a need to distinguish between outputs and results. It seems unlikely that PROCTOR will take over from SARA given its already widespread use within the police service, but it is described here for reference.
PROCTOR was first introduced in a Home Office report Not Rocket Science? Problem-solving and crime reduction (
PDF 184 Kb), published in 2000. This report examined problem-solving in crime reduction through questionnaires and interviews with police forces in England and Wales. Although the problem-solving initiatives were sourced from the police, they were not all police-only initiatives. Two examples of successful problem-solving initiatives are given below.
|
Scanning |
Analysis |
Response |
Assessment |
|
|
Problem |
Cause |
Tactic/Treatment |
Output |
Result claimed |
|
Accidental drug-related deaths involving methadone |
Leakage of prescribed methadone into the illicit drugs market |
Pressure on doctors to agree changed prescribing practices; incentives to pharmacies to provide supervised daily methadone taking. Monitoring of prescription practices and reminders to those prescribing inappropriately |
Reduced overall prescription of methadone, especially the tablets most associated with deaths, increased daily prescriptions, increased provision for supervised drug taking in pharmacies |
Reduction from 1996 high and then elimination from 1999 of drug-related deaths involving methadone. |
|
Disorder late at night at pizza parlours |
Irritation of waiting whilst pizzas cooked: those waiting under the influence of alcohol |
Enable customers to avoid waiting around to collect their orders after closing time when disturbances are apt to take place |
Pizza parlours install direct lines from pubs to pizza parlours for customers to make orders |
Reduced late night fast food pizza parlour troubles. |
From: Examples of 'successful' problem-solving, page 12 in Not Rocket Science? Problem-solving and crime reduction
The report identifies many sources of problem-solving failure amongst which include:
Weaknesses in identifying the problem
Failure to check that a nationally identified problem exists locally
Failure to check out systematically that perceptions that problems exist are accurate
Failure to check scale of problem
Weaknesses in analysis of the problem
Acceptance of definition of problem at face value
Use of only very short-term data
Failure to examine the genesis of problems
Weaknesses in working out what to do
Short term focus
Failure to read relevant literature
Picking the solution prior to or in spite of analysis
Failure to plan how the measures could in practice be made operational
Failure to think through the mechanisms by which the measure could have its impact
Failure to think through needs for sustained reduction, specifically failure to consolidate following crackdown
Weaknesses in work with partners
Failure to fully involve partners
Insensitivity to others' agendas, styles, constraints or ideologies
Weaknesses in implementation
Narrow (normally offender) focused response
Weaknesses in lessons drawn from previous experience
Shortage of good evaluations
Uncritical transfer of responses used elsewhere
Problem-solving checklist
Even those who have adopted a problem-solving approach need to constantly look at current working practices to ensure the most benefits are gained from this process. As part of their examination of problem-solving initiatives in crime reduction, the authors of Not Rocket Science? put together a checklist that can be used to identify points for improvement.
Getting a copy of the report
Not Rocket Science? Problem-solving and crime reduction by Tim Read and Nick Tilley is Paper 6 in the Home Office Crime Reduction Research Series. It was published in 2000 and is available electronically at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/crrs06.pdf 
PDF 184 Kb
Last update: 17/09/2002