NCJ Number
177330
Date Published
1998
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This is a summary of an evaluation of "clustering" (multi- divisional policing) in the Metropolitan North Region of Queensland (Australia).
Abstract
The 1996 Review of the Queensland Police Service (the Bingham Review) described "clustering" as "a multi-divisional policing concept in which a number of adjacent urban police divisions combine resources under one command." Individual stations are accessible to the public from 8 am to 4 pm. Operational activity continues for 24 hours from the one "home station." All administrative activities for the cluster stations are centralized at the home station. The evaluation of clustering involved a comparative analysis of policing within Metropolitan North Region and Metropolitan South Region. Although the demographics of the two regions are different, it was determined that a comparative analysis would provide the best available basis for evaluation, given the absence of data and information necessary for a before-and-after evaluation of clustering. The evaluation consisted of a literature review, an assessment of managerial benefits/costs and impact of clustering on policing practice, and an analysis of the impact of clustering on community policing. The evaluation found that clustering is compatible with localized forms of policing if considered in the context of an overall service delivery plan. The evaluation showed that localized forms of policing, such as police beats and community liaison officers, have occurred through organizational redesign under clustering. The evaluation also found a significant increase in the use of intelligence in both regions over the last few years. Clustering is apparently a strategy that has provided a more cost-efficient policing service while achieving the positive effects of community-based policing. 6 figures