Developing an Effective and Efficient Police Response to Lower Priority Calls for Service

In Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachments and municipal police departments across British Columbia, the largest proportion of calls for service are considered lower priority calls, commonly referred to as Priority 3 and Priority 4 calls (De Jager, 2021). For the most part, Priority 1 calls are dispatched immediately and officers travel to the scene with emergency lights and siren active. Priority 2 calls also involve a rapid response from the police, but where the immediate threat to a person’s safety or property is considered limited. Priority 3 calls do not require active emergency lights and sirens, are typically viewed as less serious, and are typically responded to after all Priority 1 and 2 calls have been cleared. Priority 4 calls are those that do not require the attendance of police, but may be responded to if, or when, there is sufficient time, such as nuisance calls, abandoned vehicle, or the report of a disturbance. Importantly, a police response to a call for service, even if a lower priority call, is expensive and consumes police resources and time.

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