Decision Making: Police Staffing - Essay Example

2010:12). Siegel (2012:120) suggested that reporting bias as one of the factors that would influence the number of criminal cases reported in relation to the number of the police officers. The argument about the reporting bias posits that the number of crime reported may increase with an increase in the number of police. The presence of the police within the city will offer an opportunity for reporting the crime which otherwise go unreported. Conversely, the decrease in crime rate with an increase in police presence may suggest distortion because the increased number of police officers creates a room for reporting and on-viewing crimes whose reporting were not clear.

Citizens may react to the fact that police officers are large in number thus responding to on call services, which would subsequently reduce the number of the crimes reported. Guffey, et.al. (2010:12) observed that critics have used the Gravel model to determine the relationship between police staffing and the number of crimes reported. The result of such studies has suggested that the presence of large number of police officers in the city would reduce the crime reported. It probable through these studies that citizens’ behaviour in the presence of large police staffing determine the number of cases reported.

Some critics have observed that increasing number of police may not reduce the rate of crime reported in some cities (Lott, 2010:124). Evidence against this argument suggests that type of crime contribute to the number of cases that the society would report to the police. Other factors that influence the number of crime reported would be police response. The Bristol council decision to increase the number of police would improve observation of law in the city. Lott (2010:124) argues that increase in number of police officers would deter violent crimes that people in the city a re likely to commit.

Human behaviour in the presence of the police depends on the powers that the police officers would exercise against them. Police with powers to arrest will influence the crime reported by deterring crimes while officers without the arresting might not influence the number crimes reported. Various studies have suggested the effects of police presence in relation to crime reported. The response that the city will give the heavy presence of the police officers would be to change the trend of committing crimes.

This might suggest the result of the data obtained by the police boss. The data of Bath and Leeds tend to suggest otherwise about the police presence and the crime reported. Both cities tend to have the same number of police officers, but different level of crimes. It is arguable that the heavy presence of the officers might not reduce other types of crimes. However, most studies have suggested a reduction of violent crimes, including the terrorist activities in the presence of heavy police. The tactics employed by the police officers in combating crime might a factor that influence the number of crime reported (Siegel, 2012:126).

For instance, heavy presence of police could lead to quick response to on call crimes, which would subsequently affect the rate, reported. This observation suggests that the council decision is likely to reduce the crime levels in the city. Recommendation I recommend increase in police staffing as a move to avert crime rate in Bristol. Crime reported is a variable that tend to decrease or increase with the