Commentary
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X6503800701 |
| Published date | 01 July 1965 |
| Date | 01 July 1965 |
| Subject Matter | Commentary |
Manpower
It
has been reported to the National Economic Development Council
that British industry may be expected to expand at such a rate that by
1970it will need 700,000 more workers.
It
seems, however, that only
about 400,000 of these will be available. The teaching profession,
too, must recruit many more people if it is to provide for the large
growth in the school population to which the nation is committed.
All this means that police manpower problems will continue to be
acute in the years immediately ahead, especially when one remembers
the high standards to which the Service requires its entrants to con-
form. The essential fitnesses of character, physique, health and
education limit the field very considerably indeed, and it is further
limited by the amount of interest in the police career and by the
degree of aptitude that an exacting occupation demands.
It
is a matter for continuing concern that in areas most affected by
growth of population and expansion of industry the rate of recruit-
ment is falling short of requirement. Meanwhile, the intentions of
H.M. Government are abundantly clear: the Queen's Speech last
year gave the key in the statement that the augmentation of the
Service is a primary aim. Establishments have been strengthened,
publicity campaigns of a new and more imaginative kind have been
launched, and the training centres are working at full pressure.
Faced, though, with the overall shortage of the right kind of
people to take high responsibilities in all walks of life, it is going to
be ever more necessary to ensure that the best possible use is being
made of the people in the Service.
WorkStudies
Modern management is increasingly conscious of the value
of
work study in reviewing efficiency. When the technique is applied to
police organization and police duty, however, the technician must
first familiarize himself with the purpose and scope of police work.
Productivity and output do
not
mean the same when applied to the
policeman's many-sided business as they do in commerce or industry.
The nature of the end-product is different: keeping the Queen's
Peace is more complex than making soap or steel. There are, never-
theless, principles which can be applied to the conduct of all large
enterprises and work study certainly has its place in police organiza-
tion.
July 1965 304
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