Controllers and their senior officers were interviewed, they were observed on duty, and tape-recorded samples of their telephone conversations were analyzed. Interviews were also conducted with a sample of callers to discover why they contacted the police. A total of 80 percent of calls reporting incidents led to the reasonably swift dispatch of a patrol. But an assessment of the police response found that only 20 percent of the calls had a 'useful and conclusive' outcome, while 31 percent were seen as achieving nothing of tangible value. However, for the public, the psychological benefits of police attendance (such as reassurance or authoritative sympathy) seemed to outweigh the often very modest material results of patrol action. A number of recommendations are made (including educating the public on how to use the police and other services, improvement of the training of controllers, and modification of communications arrangements) which should contribute to the better employment of police resources without placing current achievements in jeopardy. Figures, footnotes, tables, and about 75 references are included. Appendixes contain the study methodology and study data. (Author summary modified)