THE POLICE SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT BRANCH, A PART OF THE HOME OFFICE POLICE DEPARTMENT, EMPLOYS SOME 90 SCIENTISTS, MOST OF WHOM HAVE PHYSICS OR ELECTRONICS BACKGROUNDS. THE BROAD AIMS OF ITS WORKS ARE TO EVALUATE HOW MODERN TECHNOLOGY MIGHT AUGMENT POLICE PERFORMANCE, BRING RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY WITHIN REACH OF THE POLICE SERVICE, AND CONSIDER WHAT CHANGES OF TACTICS WOULD MAKE FOR MORE EFFICIENT USE OF POLICE MANPOWER. THE HOME OFFICE RESEARCH UNIT EMPLOYS SOME 50 RESEARCH OFFICERS TRAINED IN THE METHODS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. ONLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS THE RESEARCH UNIT DEVOTED A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF ITS RESOURCES TO POLICE RESEARCH. WHILE THE POLICE SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT BRANCH HAS FOCUSED ON TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH, THE RESEARCH UNIT HAS EMPHASIZED THE APPLICATION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES TO POLICING. ONE OF THE UNIT'S SECTIONS, COMPOSED OF FIVE RESEARCH STAFF, IS NOW EXCLUSIVELY CONCERNED WITH POLICE RESEARCH. WHILE IN THE PAST THE RESEARCH PROGRAM HAS LACKED A COMMON THEME, THE BROAD ISSUE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICE EFFORT IN CONTROLLING OR CONTAINING CRIME IS EVOLVING AS A UNIFYING CONCEPT. THE CORNERSTONE OF THE SECTIONS'S FUTURE RESEARCH PROGRAM IS LIKELY TO BE THE REVIEW OF PUBLISHED RESEARCH ON POLICING STRATEGIES. THE EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREVENTIVE PATROLLING MAY LEAD TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIFFERENT PRIORITIES FOR MANPOWER DEPLOYMENT. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED, AND THE CURRENT PROGRAM OF RESEARCH WORK IS DESCRIBED IN THE APPENDIX. (RCB)