The Police Research and Planning Branch
| Author | Peter Watts |
| Published date | 01 October 1967 |
| Date | 01 October 1967 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X6704001013 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
PETER
WATTS
Editor of the Police Research Bulletin
THE
POLI(jE
RESERA(jH
AND
PLANNING
BRAN(jH
It
is essential to the work of a branch such as this that there
should be a free
and
two-way flow of information between itself
and the Police Service. To this end, the Police Research Bulletin
is published and every opportunity is taken, as now through the
co-operation of the
POLICE
JOURNAL,
to bring news of progress in
the Branch's research
and
planning programme to as wide an
audience in the Service as possible.
Since our last report to the
POLICE
JOURNAL,
the work has gone
on apace and a brief account of some of this may be of interest.
Vehicle Utilization and Replacement
A study of the maximum practicable utilizations which can be
expected from fleets of traffic control cars operated under avariety
of conditions has been made
and
areport published.
The
study
has shown that forces should normally expect to obtain utilization
of the order of 60 per cent. instead of the national average of 35
per cent. now experienced.
It
is suggested
that
manpower short-
ages may be in
part
responsible for the low utilizations. Research
is going ahead into the reasons why vehicles spend much of their
time serviceable
but
unused in many traffic departments.
Areport on replacement is expected shortly and it should show
that
aconsiderable financial saving could be made by keener nego-
tiation for the purchase of equipment, fuel, lubrication and other
items associated with vehicle fleet operation. Acomparison of
cash paid by forces for similar items shows striking variations.
Until these anomalies have been ironed out, it does not seem prac-
ticable to develop replacement policies which could be applied
to all forces. However, the report will give a method by means of
which a force can develop an optimum replacement policy based
on its own costs.
Briefing
The
method of briefing beat officers was criticized by the Home
Secretary's Working Parties on Police Manpower, Equipment
and
Efficiency and the Branch has given attention to this subject. There
are broadly two problem areas:
(a) the content of the briefing
and
(b) the method of presenting this information to the
man
on
the ground.
October
1967 485
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