Although widely viewed as an ineffective form of policing on many levels, random police patrols may have the advantage of providing a more rapid response to emergencies. The current study assessed whether quicker responses by more patrol units resulted in more arrests at burglary emergency scenes. Data included police records of 406 residential burglaries in 1 area of the United Kingdom and related questionnaires completed by 341 officers attendant at the burglary scenes. Results indicated that arresting burglars at the scene was largely influenced by response time and number of units responding, as well as incident characteristics. The number of units available to respond, and their swiftness at responding, was influenced by the workload of the unit; lighter workloads increased chances of an on-scene arrest. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for police work, particularly it seems that in order to enhance the likelihood of on-scene arrests, patrol resourcing and organization should be changed to enhance the likelihood of a quick and strong response. There is room for future analysis on this topic since the findings presented here are at odds with previous research findings in this area. Figures, tables, notes, references