CRITERIA USED IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY, ENGLAND, TO ESTABLISH GEOGRAPHICAL WORK AREAS FOR POLICE ARE SUMMARIZED, AND APPROACHES TAKEN BY POLICE IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE AND AYRSHIRE TO REDISTRIBUTING THEIR MANPOWER IN LINE WITH WORKLOAD DEMANDS ARE REVIEWED BRIEFLY. FORMULAS DEVELOPED BY THE BRITISH HOME OFFICE POLICE RESEARCH SERVICES UNIT FOR ESTABLISHING POLICE WORK AREAS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMMUNITIES (RURAL, URBAN, ETC.) ARE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED. INNOVATIONS IN MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT METHODS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES ARE OUTLINED, WITH REFERENCE TO A LIST OF MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT OBJECTIVES DEVELOPED BY AN AMERICAN RESEARCHER. THE FOLLOWING FACTORS ARE CONCLUDED TO BE IMPORTANT IN ESTABLISHING POLICE WORK AREAS AND DEPLOYING MANPOWER TO THEM: (1) THE POPULATION OF AN AREA, RATHER THAN THE AREA'S SIZE IN MILES AND ACREAGE; (2) THE HISTORY OF THE POPULATION REGARDING ITS TENDENCY TO BE LAW ABIDING, AND (3) THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT BY POLICE RESPONDING TO AND FOLLOWING UP ON EACH CRIME AND SERVICE CALL, RATHER THAN AN AREA'S CRIME RATE OR PREVENTIVE PATROLLING NEEDS. THE PRIORITIES IN MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT ARE FIRST TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS REQUIRED TO DEAL WITH INCIDENTS, AND THEN TO DETERMINE WORK AREAS THAT CAN BE EFFECTIVELY MANAGED. IN THE END, EFFECTIVE DEPLOYMENT DEPENDS ON THE GOOD SENSE OF THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF MAKING ASSIGNMENTS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (LKM)