Demand management – study of internal demand pressures [Ref 3.03]

Academic team: Dr Paul Walley and Anna Jennison Phillips, Senior Practitioner Fellow (Gloucestershire Constabulary)
Policing partners: Gloucestershire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, Bedfordshire Police, Hertfordshire Constabulary and Humberside Police
Status: Complete

This project is part of the Centre’s research into ways in which demand can be managed and sustainably reduced.  After an initial scoping study, it was identified that much internal demand is self-generated, partly through not getting things right first time.  The main study investigated a sample of demand at Gloucestershire Constabulary to identify the underlying causes of “failure” or repeat demand.  The outcome was to identify how the adaptation of prioritisation to increase one-touch resolution can help reduce unnecessary demand.

Outputs

TitleOutputs typeLead academicYear
A study of non-urgent demand to identify opportunities for demand reductionArticleWalley, P2018
Service quality in policing: a failure demand perspectiveResearch paperWalley, P2018
Demand and capacity management within the police serviceVideoWalley, P2017
Reducing demand by meeting needs effectivelyVideoJennison-Phillips, A2017
Demand management in the public sector: developments and issuesConference paperWalley, P2017
Failure demand themesProject extractWalley, P2017
Scoping study summary report on demand managementSummary reportWalley, P2016
The use of failure demand in police servicesLiterature reviewWalley, P2015

News

Blog post - Evolving the CPRL Collaboratives: Connecting research, practice and national priorities

From October 2026, our Collaborative Research Seminar series will enter a new phase as part of the ongoing development of the Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL). These Collaboratives will evolve over the summer alongside a refreshed governance structure, positioning them at the heart of how the Centre connects research, practice, and national policing priorities.

5th May 2026