This course focuses on the use of data to make decisions, using actions taken in managing capacity and demand as the applied example.

The course uses examples not only from policing but also many other public and private sector services to show how data might be used to establish demand patterns and manage demand. The capacity management strategies of ‘level’ and ‘chase’ are explained. You will also gain an insight into the underlying causes of waits and delays, with an illustration of queue theory.

This course was produced by The Open University in association with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. You can find out more on courses from this series on the Community engagement and policing page.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• understand how useful data can be to inform practical decision-making
• see how demand patterns are derived when looking at data
• understand how seasonal patterns in demand are caused and how this impacts on resource planning
• understand different perspectives of how demand for services can be assessed
• see how demand data can be used to plan capacity requirements.