The key information which normally forms the core of the analysis can be summarized in a ‘compendium’ question: what offences occurred; where, when, under what circumstances and by what method were they committed; and who or what was the victim or target? The answer to the question can contribute to an understanding of the crime pattern, the criminal opportunities that underlie it, and the scope for prevention. Of course, in particular crime analysis exercises these general characterizations of the offences of interest must be adapted to suit the current context; and there may well be other items of information worth including in the analysis. Figure 3 shows the key items, together with a sample of others.