A National Activity Survey of Police Work (original) (raw)

Opportunities for Improvement in Organisation of Police Operations

EUROPEAN RESEARCH STUDIES JOURNAL, 2021

The studies whose findings are presented in this paper are the consequence of the authors' own qualitative studies as well as surveys conducted among theoreticians and practitioners engaged in public security, management and security management. Findings: The findings prove that the determinants in rationalisation of organisation of Police operations include internal reserves of the Police, the force's cooperation with other institutions, use of modern technologies and application of highly objective tools to assessing the effectiveness of operations. They have various effects on improving organisation of Police operations, but only when applied in concert.

Managing Police Patrol Time: The Role of Supervisor Directives

Justice Quarterly, 2005

Contemporary police practice advocates the importance of proactive policing activities. Proactive policing reforms emphasize self-initiated tasks during unassigned patrol time and directed activities based on supervisor review of crime analysis and problem identification. Our study analyzes data from systematic social observations of police patrol officers to examine how officers spent their discretionary time. We find that, on average, over three quarters of a patrol officers' shift is unassigned. During this time, officers primarily self-initiate routine patrol, or back up other officers on calls to which they were not dispatched. Just 6 percent of unassigned time activities are directed by supervising officers, dispatchers, other officers or citizens. Moreover, directives provided by supervisors are vague, general in form, and do not operationalize problem-oriented policing, community-oriented policing, or proactive policing strategies. We conclude that first, a very significant proportion of patrol officer time is spent uncommitted that could be better utilized doing proactive, problem-oriented policing activities, and second, supervisors need to provide patrol officers with much more detailed directives, based on sound crime analysis, to help capitalize on the under-utilization of patrol officer time.

Utilizing activity-based timing to analyze police service delivery

Understanding current costs of police services requires an understanding of past costs and past demands for police services. This research explores how demands for police services vary over time and whether or not the amount of work necessary to respond to calls for police services increased or decreased. This research uses an activity based timing (ABT) approach involving the analysis of: legislation and case law; focus groups; historical operational records; and current member time use logs. The research shows that over the last 30 years: there was an increase in demand for police services that exceeded increases in police; there were a series of court decisions and technological developments that substantially increased the required number of steps and the amount of paperwork generated in handling cases that proceed to court; and, there was an associated increase in time for handling specific types of crimes.

Review of Work Done with the Police Force and the Need for Change

International journal of health sciences

A number of studies have been conducted and published on police personnel across the world. Studies have shown that younger police personnel experience fear on the job while older police personnel are more fearful of being negatively appraised on the job. The work of the police is both demanding and stressful and these are associated with burnout and increased incidence of mood disorders. Increases in stress levels has also been associated with suicidal ideation. Our emotions are a product of the culture that we are brought up in and live in. which points to the need to reduce the stigma associated with police personnel seeking help for mental health. There is a need to shift to community based policing where police personnel are seen as helpful guardians, rather than being military like in uniform. In addition there is a need to have better measures of assessment of the stress levels of police personnel. Better wellbeing has been significantly associated with increased job satisfac...

Investigating the Routine Dispatch Tasks Performed by Police Officers

Safety, 2020

Police officers perform a variety of physical tasks that can range from deskwork to chasing down fleeing suspects on foot. If not sufficiently prepared these tasks can lead to an increased risk of injury or task failure. The aim of this study was to profile the routine dispatch tasks performed by the Australian law enforcement officers of a state police force by frequency and duration. Participants for this study (n = 53: male n = 43, age = 33.5 ± 7.7 years, years of service = 7.2 ± 6.4 years: Female n = 10; age = 31.6 ± 9.1 years, years of service = 7.1 ± 6.1 years) were drawn from ten different police stations. Data reporting the tasks attended, their priorities, and their durations were gathered from a computer-aided dispatch system. Data from 77 shifts (3.8 ± 4.0 tasks/shift) captured 292 tasks attended (29.2 ± 17.5 task per station). ‘Check bona fides’ (checking an individual’s identification; 27%) was the most frequently occurring task followed by attending a domestic incident...

An Examination of Activity Profile of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF)

Despite the existing Federal arrangement with three tiers of governance, namely, Local, State, and Federal, the country has only one police force that operates at the Federal level, with subsidiary operations at the State and Local governmental levels. Hence, there is no State or Local Police Force in Nigeria, as is the case in many nations operating a Federal system of government. This article examines the current Nigeria Police Force (NPF) as a product of the country's colonial history. It explains the easy and quick affiliation of the Nigeria police to force rather than service. Based on activity profile of the Nigeria Police Force, past and present, the reforms experienced by the Force were examined. Emphasis was on the organizational structure of the Force and a critique of the structure vis-a-vis the constitutional and statutory powers of the Nigeria Police Force. The article had unveiled that the country is yet to have a civil police capable of policing the country in an acceptable and decent manner. This is not unconnected with the colonial history of the Nigeria Police Force and its emphasis on maintaining the status quo under the guise of maintaining law and order. Available evidence indicates a number of weaknesses and shortcomings of the Nigeria Police Force, which culminated into series of reforms that yielded little positive results. Therefore, a well thought-out reform program is necessary; one that will reinvent the psyche of the Nigeria Police Force, thereby purging it of its colonial mentality and conservative posture in favor of civil and people-oriented policing. The article recommends that the police personnel be exposed to the latest developments in modern policing and the other the demands of the profession geared towards the supremacy of the rule of law, the importance of the police to community service, and the status of citizens as beneficiaries of police work. In addition, the police force needs re-orientation so that rules regarding human rights, morality, ethics, and proper human relations are inculcated into the service. This will empower them to respect the legal and constitutional rights of citizens.

Profiling the Occupational Tasks and Physical Conditioning of Specialist Police

International Journal of Exercise Science, 2019

Specialist police are required to perform high risk and dangerous tasks that are physically demanding. The aims of this study were to establish the natures and contexts of tasks performed by specialist police officers and to explore the physical fitness regimes they undertake to maintain their operational fitness for these tasks. A survey approach was employed and members of operational units of the Australian and New Zealand Police Tactical Groups (PTG) participated in the survey. A total of nine (100%) PTG units cooperated, with 132 respondents (31% of the PTG operational members) from these units completing the online survey. The occupational task most commonly recently undertaken by PTG was a high-risk warrant execution (62% of respondents) followed by rural operations (11% of respondents). The nature and environment of operations varied, and external load was carried in all operational circumstances, with loads typically 21–25 kg. All officers undertook regular physical trainin...

Work Performance of Police Officers Chap. 1-3

Station along their duties and responsibilities in terms of: a) Law Enforcement b) Crime Prevention and Detection/ Control c) Community Safety and Protection d) Police -Community Relation 3. What are the problems encountered during its operation? 4. What are the viewed solutions and recommendations to improve the services of Police Officers perceived by the respondents? 5. What are the sociological implications that can be derived from the study?