NCJ Number
138901
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1992) Pages: 200-223
Date Published
1992
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article reports the results of a British national activity survey of the distribution of time spent on various policing tasks by samples of over 1,600 community constables and general duty officers.
Abstract
The survey results show that approximately one-third of a typical tour of duty of community constables and approximately two-fifths of the typical duty tour of general duty officers is spent inside the police station. When inside the station the major proportion of time is spent on general administrative duties, including paperwork; when outside the station the major proportion of time is spent on routine patrol. A comparative analysis of activities across all forces shows considerable variation in the amount of time uniformed officers spend on various tasks. An important difference among forces whose officers spend a large amount of time outside the station and forces whose officers spend a small amount of time outside the police station is the amount of time spent on general administrative duties, including paperwork. This study concludes that activity analyses can identify problems in the organization and deployment of patrol officers. 4 tables, 2 notes, and 28 references