NCJ Number
147923
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 67 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-March 1994) Pages: 26-38
Date Published
1994
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Maintenance of the public's goodwill is a principle function of the police role in society; this requires recovery from breakdowns in service.
Abstract
This article places recovery in the context of the quality of service initiatives currently taking place within the British police service. The Service Quality Model described here suggests that is there is a gap between the expectation of service quality and the quality actually perceived by a client, then the gap is a function of four other gaps. These can be described as gaps between consumer expectations and management perception, between management perception and service quality specification, between service quality specifications and service delivery, and between service delivery and external communications. A fifth gap occurs between expected service and the perceived service. Determinants of service quality may include reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, and credibility. Breakdowns may occur in any of these components of police service delivery: mechanical, human, scheduling, capacity, political, or weather. 9 notes