Police performance indicators

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Davidoff, Lawrence

Affiliations: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Room 554, Home Office, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AT, UK

Abstract: Following the Local Government Act 1992, the Audit Commission of Great Britain proposed nine “Citizen's Charter” police performance indicators. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary constructed eleven quantitative indicators. The Association of Chief Police Officers produced five qualitative indicators. These 25 indicators were issued to police forces in a Home Office Circular Letter grouped under the service areas: call management; crime management; traffic management; public order management; community policing management; resources/costs. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary collated the indicators and provided summaries to police forces. The Audit Commission collated and published their Citizens' Charter indicators. Certain indicators were discussed in Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary's Annual Report. This paper deals with some problems of collection and interpretation of police performance indicators.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13204

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 161-168, 1996