シミュレーション · Minimal Organization · Public authorities
Police authority
A city police authority as a walkable model: what happens after an emergency call, how many patrols it takes and what shortens the time to arrival.
All data are fictional, including call volumes and arrival times. The model can be adapted to your authority's real data and extended with information that is nowhere visible in one place today – for example calls per hour and district, or arrival times per station.
This police dispatch simulation shows the fictional POLIZEIPRÄSIDIUM WESTERBRÜCK, a city police authority with seven buildings and 20 departments. The control centre takes every emergency call, patrols drive around the clock – and behind every report is an investigation for the prosecutor.
The main process starts when a neighbour hears glass breaking and dials 110, Germany's police emergency number. The control centre asks what happened, the dispatch system proposes the nearest available patrol, and the car drives with blue lights and siren. The target is measured on scene: a patrol within 15 minutes. That is a model value, since German law sets no response time for the police. Then the criminal investigation watch, the ambulance service or the duty judge takes over – and the patrol writes its report.
A crime report on its way to the prosecutor, a rear-end collision on the ring road and a football match with many away fans run alongside. This page is meant for police leadership, control room managers, duty and operations planners, trainers and press officers.
An emergency call: a burglary in a flat
- 01
Someone dials 110: A neighbour hears glass breaking and dials 110.
- 02
Emergency call taking: The control centre asks: what happened, where, is anyone in danger?
- 03
Dispatch: The dispatch system proposes the nearest free patrol; the dispatcher alerts it by radio.
- 04
Driving with blue lights: The patrol drives with blue lights and siren.
- 05
Patrol at the scene: The patrol is on scene: secure, help, take details. This is where the target is measured.
- 06
Ambulance takes over: The ambulance service takes over the injured.
- 07
Criminal watch: first response: The criminal watch takes over: secure traces, question witnesses, search.
- 08
An investigation begins.
- 09
Police custody: A person is taken into custody.
- 10
Duty judge decides: The duty judge decides on custody or release.
- 11
Incident report at the station: Back at the station the patrol writes the incident report.
- 12
Operation finished.
How a police authority can use the model
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Internal communication
Headquarters, control centre, two stations, criminal investigation and vehicle yard in a single view. The collaboration view shows how public safety, crime and traffic interlock.
対象Police leadership, executive staff, directorates
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Onboarding
New officers and staff see where a call-out leads after the radio message – station, criminal watch, custody, duty judge – and where their own unit sits in the headquarters.
対象New staff in patrol, control room and administration
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Training
Police cadets play through a storm or run the city with 13 instead of 16 patrols and see in the ‘Where it gets tight’ diagram when no car is left.
対象Basic and advanced training, police students
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Explaining to the public
How long until the police arrive, and why? The model shows call taking, dispatch and the drive as one chain – useful for community dialogue and recruitment.
対象Press office, recruitment, citizens
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Strategic overview
Patrols on duty, tablets in the car, online police station, investigators: the model sets the levers for arrival time side by side. ‘Year, week, day’ shows nights, weekends and major incidents.
対象Police leadership, operations directorate, interior ministry
What is shown – why – for whom
| 表示内容 | なぜ | 対象 |
|---|---|---|
| ‘The path across the site’ diagram: control centre, stations, incident locations | なぜShows the patrols' routes to the scene. | 対象Police leadership, control centre |
| ‘Where it gets tight’ diagram: no patrol car available | なぜShows the limit of the patrol service. | 対象Operations directorate |
| ‘What each control does’ diagram: patrols, mobile reporting, online police station, investigators | なぜRanks the levers for arrival time. | 対象Police leadership, interior ministry |
| ‘Year, week, day’ diagram: nights, weekends, major incidents | なぜShows the peaks in call-outs. | 対象Duty planning |
| ‘Where people work’ diagram | なぜShows headquarters, stations and criminal investigation. | 対象Recruitment, the public |
| Process ‘A report becomes an investigation’ | なぜShows the path to the public prosecutor. | 対象Criminal investigation, training |
| Process ‘A football match with many away fans’ | なぜShows a planned major operation. | 対象Operations planning, city |
Departments in the model
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Police president
Heads the authority; responsible for operations, investigations and administration.
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Executive staff
Controlling, strategy, situation picture, cooperation with city and state.
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Press office
Informs the public, warns about scams, accompanies major operations.
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Directorate for public safety and operations
Leads stations, control centre and riot unit; plans major operations.
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Control centre
Takes every 110 call and sends the nearest free patrol – around the clock.
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Central police station
Shift service: patrols, reports at the desk, custody.
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North police station
Watch and community service in the north of the city.
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Riot unit
Formed unit for matches, assemblies and major incidents.
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Crime directorate
Leads the criminal police and assigns investigations.
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Criminal investigation watch
Around the clock first response: traces, witnesses, search; plus the online police station.
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Property crime unit
Burglary, theft, handling stolen goods.
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Fraud and cybercrime unit
Phone and internet fraud, digital evidence.
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Violent crime unit
Assault, robbery, domestic violence.
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Forensics
Secures and examines traces: fingerprints, tool marks, DNA samples for the state office.
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Victim protection and prevention
Advises those affected, refers to support, advises on burglary protection.
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Traffic directorate
Accident processing, traffic enforcement, accident prevention.
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Accident investigation team
Records accidents: traces, sketch, witnesses, cautions.
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Central services directorate
Staff, budget, legal, buildings.
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Technology, IT and fleet
Radio, dispatch system, patrol cars, workshop.
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Internal audit and complaints
Audits processes and takes complaints about police operations – independent of the directorates, reporting directly to the head.
All processes in the model
An emergency call: a burglary in a flat
- 01Someone dials 110: A neighbour hears glass breaking and dials 110.
- 02Emergency call taking: The control centre asks: what happened, where, is anyone in danger?
- 03Dispatch: The dispatch system proposes the nearest free patrol; the dispatcher alerts it by radio.
- 04Driving with blue lights: The patrol drives with blue lights and siren.
- 05Patrol at the scene: The patrol is on scene: secure, help, take details. This is where the target is measured.
- 06Ambulance takes over: The ambulance service takes over the injured.
- 07Criminal watch: first response: The criminal watch takes over: secure traces, question witnesses, search.
- 08An investigation begins.
- 09Police custody: A person is taken into custody.
- 10Duty judge decides: The duty judge decides on custody or release.
- 11Incident report at the station: Back at the station the patrol writes the incident report.
- 12Operation finished.
A report becomes an investigation
- 01A resident reports a crime: After their holiday a family finds their cellar broken into. They report it – at the station or online.
- 02Report at the front desk: At the front desk an officer records the report.
- 03Report at the north station: The north station records the report.
- 04Online station checks the report: The online station checks the online report.
- 05Crime directorate assigns: The crime directorate assigns the case by offence.
- 06Property crime unit investigates: The property crime unit investigates: scene, witnesses, comparison with similar cases.
- 07Forensics and interviews run at the same time.
- 08Forensics analyses traces: Forensics analyses fingerprints and tool marks.
- 09DNA analysis at the state office: The state office analyses the DNA and compares it with the database.
- 10Interview: Witnesses and victims are interviewed.
- 11Traces and statements are in.
- 12Again: Interview: The victims are interviewed, stolen goods are put on the wanted list.
- 13Fraud unit investigates: The fraud unit traces accounts and phone numbers.
- 14Again: Interview: Interviewing victims and suspects.
- 15Violent crime unit investigates: The violent crime unit secures statements and medical reports.
- 16Interview and victim protection run at the same time.
- 17Again: Interview: Interviewing witnesses and suspects.
- 18Victim protection advises: The victim protection officer arranges counselling and support.
- 19Statements and support are arranged.
- 20Final report and handover: Final report: the file goes to the prosecutor.
A rear-end collision on the ring road
- 01Accident reported via 110: In rush hour one car runs into another. A driver calls 110.
- 02Emergency call taking: The control centre takes the call.
- 03Dispatch: An accident investigation team is alerted.
- 04Driving with blue lights: The team drives to the scene.
- 05Recording the accident on site: The team secures the scene, photographs traces, takes details.
- 06Caution fee paid, details exchanged.
- 07Towing service clears: A towing service clears the car from the road.
- 08Accident case processing: Accident processing hears those involved and evaluates traces.
- 09Fines office issues the notice: The city's fines office issues the notice.
- 10Prosecutor decides: The prosecutor examines the injury case.
- 11Closed.
A football match with many away fans
- 01Organiser registers the match: The club registers a match with many away fans.
- 02Command staff plans the operation: The command staff plans forces, areas and times: arrival, match, departure.
- 03Requesting forces and the safety meeting run at the same time.
- 04Requesting state units: The headquarters requests units from the state riot police.
- 05Safety meeting: Safety meeting with club, city, fire service and public transport.
- 06Forces confirmed, agreements made.
- 07Operation order: The operation order sets sectors, radio and responsibilities.
- 08Press office informs: The press office announces road closures and advice for fans.
- 09Operation day: riot unit deploys (Saturdays): Match day: the riot unit deploys and accompanies arrival and departure.
- 10Closing debrief: Closing debrief on the same day: what went well, what should change next time?
- 11Operation completed.
What you can change
Controls
- Emergency call volume: New Year's Eve, storms or a city festival: many more calls at once.
- Patrol cars on duty: How many patrols can be out at once – the key factor for the time to arrival.
- Mobile case recording: Writing the report in the car frees the patrol earlier for the next call (model assumption).
- Online police station: Online reports relieve the front desk; share of reports still made at the desk.
- Investigators in the property crime unit: More investigators: burglaries are processed and handed over faster.
Disruptions
- Storm over the city: For six hours almost twice as many calls, trees on the roads slow the patrols down.
- Illness in the watch service: For three days a quarter of the patrols are missing.
- Dispatch system disrupted: Three hours with paper and radio: call taking and dispatch take three times as long.
- Case recording system down: For four hours no reports can be recorded.
What a police authority gets
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01
The city as the operations area
Headquarters, control centre, stations and criminal investigation are spread across the district. Points of light show every call-out on its way to the next unit.
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02
Four kinds of operation at once
Emergency calls, crime reports, accidents and a major event run side by side in the event simulation. Bottlenecks in the control room or the patrol service show at once.
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03
Play through the situation
Five controls and four disruptions, from a storm to a dispatch system failure. At a bottleneck a tip names the control that helps, and a button applies it.
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04
Diagrams that calculate
14 diagrams in four groups are computed live from the model – from the path across the site to the headquarters' organisation chart.
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05
For briefing room and lecture hall
Laptop or big screen: the model runs in the browser, and a guided tour in eight steps leads through the authority.
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06
Not off the shelf
Designed by an artist and developer. An overview places the headquarters next to 35 other organisations, including a local court and a district administration.
Basis and limits
Fictional police authority · model based on researched police structures · no statement about real authorities
1 case = 1 call-out, 1 report, 1 accident or 1 major operation · 1 figure ≈ 25 employees
All volumes, durations, rates and capacities are model assumptions, not values of a real police authority.
The 15-minute arrival target is a model value; there is no statutory response time for the police in Germany.
Only calls with a call-out are counted. In the model the patrol drives first and then waits for a free car; the total time is the same.
Documented: directorate structure of NRW police authorities, judicial review of custody, forwarding investigations to the prosecutor, special rights in traffic.
Public sources the model is based on:
- Organisation der Kreispolizeibehörden NRW (Ministerialblatt, recht.nrw.de)
- Polizeigesetz NRW (§§ 35–38)
- Grundgesetz Art. 104
- Strafprozessordnung (§§ 158, 160, 163)
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (§§ 35, 38)
- Landtag NRW, Drucksache 16/434
- Landtag NRW, Drucksache 16/3947
- BKA: Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik
- Polizei NRW: Internetwache
Your police authority as a model
Would you like to see your headquarters with your own stations, call-outs and arrival times? Get in touch by email or phone and we will discuss how to get there. Access to the simulation: password on request.
cube4tec.de/spiele/minimal-organization/
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Minimal Organization: Polizeibehörde
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All data are fictional, including call volumes and arrival times. The model can be adapted to your authority's real data and extended with information that is nowhere visible in one place today – for example calls per hour and district, or arrival times per station.