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Police Speed

If you call your local police department to report that you are looking at a house burglar entering your neighbors house - how fast would it take for them to respond by showing up on the scene? Have you tried to do anything to show the police that you want them to improve their response times?

Speed Police

I have never called the police before here in Trinidad but for what I heard the people here face the same challenges like in Argentina where you call the police and they give you excuses such as 'we do not have any cars available right now' or 'where? nah, we do not enter to those kind of areas'
Nevertheless, I called the police a couple of times in Argentina and they reached within 8-10 minutes.

Police Speed History & Civil Business Politics

When I was in England, my wife called the police to report loud noises coming from somewhere in the neighborhood. It was almost like someone was having a party at 2 a.m. My wife waited in the living room, where she could see the street in front of our house. She saw a cop car drive by twice, but they never stopped. No one ever called back. No cop ever came. She eventually went back to sleep (or at least tried too) but was very disturbed by what had happened.
Another time when we were dating, my wife had a hatchback Geo, with the cloth top. Well someone slashed it right in front of my house, and took some stuff from inside. We called the cops and waited for 2 hours before someone came!

Speed Police

Like LDS said, in Trinidad if you call it is highly likely you will get 'We have no cars', but I would like to think that it different if it is a crime in progress rather than a crime that already happened and the criminal has fled. I have heard that in the case where life is at stake it is actually better to call the fire or ambulance as they show up on the scene much faster. As far as trying to improve on it... people here are always complaining and protesting, but alast - we are in a Banana Republic.

Speed Police

I have called the cops once while living here. There is a public parking lot behind our apartment and some teens were climbing the light poles. I was worried someone would get hurt so I called the cops. They said they'd send someone right away, but since I didn't go out to check I don't know for sure if they did. Although I haven't seen those kids climbing the light poles since. I have had to call an ambulance several times for my mother and the police aways arrive first, usually within 2 or 3 minutes.

Police Speed

Awhile back, I heard a very good story about this subject. I think it was an actual event, but am not completely sure.

A woman woke her husband up because she could hear noises coming from her shed. He quietly went outside and found a group of young people rummaging through his shed (garage). He went in the house, and called the police.

"We have no cars that can respond at this time," he was told. He hung up the phone. A couple of minutes later, he called 911 again. "I have just shot four young people who broke into my shed."

Police showed up in about 2 minutes and caught the perpetrators in the act. "I thought you said that you had shot them," said one of the officers.

"I thought you said you had no cars available," replied the homeowner.

Police Speed

I have called cops several times and not once have they been to where I was in lesss than 30 to 45 minutes and there is nothing we really can do to improve it I dont think they trully care whats goin on around here because you can never find one when you need one

Police Speed Politics Business Civil & History

Well, I don't think it is a matter of them not caring. I thnk it is a matter of supply and demand as well as prioritizing what resources exist.

The police are publically funded. This means there is a limit to the numbers available. I think the reason an ambulance can respond faster is there is less demand. Fewer ambulances can adequately service the same area because there are less injuries than crime or complaints.

So, because of limited resources, when a call complaining of a noise disturbance is made, it is going to get less attention than one where a violent crime is in progress. I think it should be this way, too. Certainly, we don't want all calls to be handled on a first come, first serve basis? This would surely reduce the average response time, but at what cost?

I have never had to call the police in a true emergency. I hope I never do. However, in the spirit of disclosure...my stepfather is a cop.