Calls for Service and Police Effectiveness: The Role of Performance Measurement Systems

Abstract

This thesis explores the adoption of public sector management reforms by police. The literature suggests that police have been more resistant to public sector management reform than other public sector organisations. One feature of public sector management reform—performance measurement—is evident in police agencies, but prior research does not provide a clear picture of whether performance measurement helps or hinders police effectiveness. The research presented in this thesis helps to clarify this picture by examining the influence of performance measurement on the effectiveness of police in responding to calls for service from citizens. Responding to calls for service involves managing numerous multi-faceted challenges. Performance measurement can help manage complexity by enabling members of an organisation to make sense of what is happening in complex organisational contexts. Therefore, the context of police response to calls for service from citizens is one where performance measurement can assist police to be effective. In this thesis I examine whether performance measurement does assist police to be effective in responding to calls for service.