Calling the Police

We all know that police catch criminals, but do they? Is it even their main task? If not, what do they do and how well do they do it? This book reveals how the police cope daily with the enormously diverse demands made upon them by members of the public. It focuses upon how control room staff "read between the lines" of callers' accounts of what is happening and decide upon the most appropriate response. It systematically explores such incidents as how police officers respond to a 14-year-old boy reported missing from home late at night, or how they interpret a woman's suspicion that intruders are breaking into her house. The implications of this research are then considered, both for the general debate on policing, but also specifically in relation to how police should be managed. How can the police service be efficient, whilst awaiting to respond whatever emergency the public will throw at it next? It argues for a more territorially-based responsive approach to policing.