NCJ Number
79914
Date Published
1980
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article describes the organization and accomplishments of a special burglary unit established by the police department in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in December 1978 as part of an internal reorganization program.
Abstract
Low clearance rates for burglary and theft prompted Utrecht police to organize a team of detectives and patrol officers who would be excused from normal duties to take special responsibility for investigating burglary and theft. The team started wth all information available on possible offenders and related cases of burglary and theft rather than tackling every single case as it was reported. Using data on reported crimes, offenders, and caseloads as well as interviews with team members, the Ministry of Justice's Research and Documentation Center evaluated the burglary project after its first 6 months and found that by September 1979 burglary clearance rates had increased 40 percent over 1978. On the average, less time was spent solving a case under the project than was to be expected from previous studies, and the time lapse between an offense being reported and solved decreased. Although the evaluation did not discover if the project led to the arrest of persons involved in regional criminal activities, it did reveal that 50 percent of those arrested had three or more previous offenses and that 30 percent were first offenders. Compared to 1978, more people were arrested whom the police knew to be drug users. Advantages cited by detectives and patrol officers included greater control over workloads, more time on a case, and administrative support. The evaluation concluded that increases in the efficiency of criminal investigation could be attributed largely to the coordinator's position and the data files set up for the project. Implications of the Utrecht experience for the police forces are discussed. The report contains seven footnotes.