Productivity estimation and the size-efficiency relationship in English and Welsh police forces: An application of data envelopment analysis and multiple discriminant analysis

This article utilizes data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate the productivity of the English and Welsh police forces and to determine whether there are categorical scale effects in policing using multiple discriminant analysis (MDA). The article demonstrates that by using DEA efficiency results it is possible to make inferences about the optimal size and structure of the English and Welsh police forces. In terms of individual force efficiency, the DEA results suggest that the Surrey police force appears to be 38% less efficient than its efficient reference set and that only three police forces (Cleveland, Dorset, and Leicestershire) are consistently efficient.