NCJ Number
139569
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article describes alternative methods for determining the optimal number of police staff in Hungary.
Abstract
The article first provides a formula for calculating crime rates within the particular district that will be served by a police agency. The crime rate of a police jurisdiction is one factor that must be assessed in the determination of how many police officers should be on the staff. Another factor examined is the measurement of various police activities for which an agency is responsible. A third significant factor is the socio-psychological characteristics of the police staff. This factor determines the degree to which each staff member is able to perform efficiently and effectively. An agency where each staff member performs at a high level will require fewer staff members than one in which staff members are inefficient, thus requiring more staff to produce the required services. A chart that shows blocks of factors that determine the optimal number of police staff divides the blocks into "objective" factors and "subjective" factors. The objective factors are political, cultural, social, and economic. The subjective factors (those pertinent to the characteristics of individual officers) are in the areas of health, psychological factors, and sociological factors. Appended data relevant to calculations and 6 references