NCJ Number
175322
Date Published
1995
Length
48 pages
Annotation
A two-part study conducted in 1994 examined innovative approaches for police visits to scenes of house burglaries in England and Wales.
Abstract
Information was collected by means of a national survey of scene visit approaches in police agencies in England and Wales and an analysis of burglary reports at each of six selected programs chosen to reflect a variety of police agencies, areas, and approaches that differed from the traditional multi-visit approach to handling burglaries. Results of the national survey revealed six main types of programs, most of which were operating in a few areas. The particular approaches favored were the use of specialized teams for scene visits and the use of a uniformed officer to replace the detective at the scene. One program aimed to save resources, but did not appear to harm the quality of service or its effectiveness in crime disruption. The other five approaches appeared to improve the quality of service to burglary victims, but they typically dealt with only 30 percent of the burglaries. Findings indicated that staff resource levels were probably the most important issue for these programs and that the programs need to avoid both understaffing and overstaffing. Tables, figures, photographs, and 18 references