The survey of several areas throughout Britain showed that less than 30 percent of the total calls for police assistance were placed to the emergency number. The percentage of calls to the police graded immediate by 42 forces ranged from 0.5 percent to 47 percent. This disparity was attributable to type of incident, definition of immediate, police workload, operator practice, target setting, and measurement differences. The ability of operators to deploy police staff strategically and keep them updated on incidents in progress is a key component of an effective use of resources. Training of control room staff in keyboard skills would improve the speed of service and accuracy of records. The study found little evidence that excess resources were expended in answering calls; when unnecessary resources were dispatched, they were quickly redeployed. 4 tables, 7 figures, 4 appendixes, and 13 references