The City and the Police Force: Analysing Relative Efficiency in City Police Precincts with Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract

This paper analyses the efficiency of the Lisbon police force precincts with a 2-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA). In the first stage, we estimate the DEA efficiency scores and compare the precincts with each other. The aim of this procedure is to seek out those best practices that will lead to the improved performance of all of the precincts. We rank the precincts according to their efficiency for the period 2000-2002. In the second stage, we estimate a Tobit model in which the efficiency scores are regressed in socio-economic issues, identifying social causes which vary across the city and that affect deterrence policy. The economic implications arising from the study are considered.

Bulgaria Spending Review on Policing and Firefighting

“…Because of its non-parametric nature, the number of units under analysis affects the number of inputs and outputs employed. DEA methodology requires that the number of DMUs must be at least three times larger than the number of inputs and outputs employed (Barros, 2007in Alda, 2014. It is important to use measures that enable a more accurate reflection of the institution's organizational performance.…”

“…These factors can and often do influence the performance of the police. Research evidence suggests the importance of controlling for exogenous factors when examining the efficiency of police forces (Barros, 2007;Goltz, 2006;Verma and Gavirneni, 2006). Depending on the environment in which the police operate, the effect of these exogenous factors may be larger in some areas than others.…”

“…Studies in both developed and developing countries have employed the crime clearance rate as an output measure to examine the efficiency of police organizations (see for example, Darrough and Heineke, 1979;Thanassoulis, 1995, Nyhan andMartin, 1999;Drake and Simper, 2000;Drake and Simper, 2002b;Barros, 2007;and Alda, 2014). Studies in the US, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean region have relied Also, spending reviews on police organizations have employed crime clearance rates as the preferred output measure (see for example the World Bank's Mexico's Public Expenditure Review 43 .…”

Peru Public Expenditure Review

“…For example, if a police station does not efficiently use inputs such as police officers, vehicles or computers, it will be located below the efficiency frontier, compared to a police station that used its inputs efficiently. In accordance with the literature about the efficiency of police organizations (see for example, Barros, 2007;Díez-Ticio & Mancebón, 2002;Gorman & Ruggiero, 2008), the following inputs and outputs are used (see Table 6-4).…”

“…The two main problems identified were house burglaries and alcoholism. The crime factors in the district may have an adverse impact on police efficiency(Barros, 2007).Map 6-6 Input Efficiency of the PNP Map 6-5 Output Efficiency of the PNP…”