LAW-ENFORCEMENT, PRODUCTION AND THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS - AN ANALYSIS OF DUTCH POLICE-DEPARTMENTS

Dutch police departments are treated as input-constrained-- producers of both fired and non-fixed outputs. Both crime and noncrime outputs are explicitly taken into account, Departments are assumed to choose a mix of non-fixed outputs which maximizes total value or pseudo-revenues. The valuation of these outputs is assumed to be in accordance with the average sentences given by the judicial authorities. This hypothesis is tested and can be maintained. A translog-revenue function is estimated. The results suggest that recorded crimes are to be considered an input rather than an output. The results are used to estimate economies of scale and the effects of budget reallocation and the consolidation of police departments.