What is typically the focus of a police department regarding a problem-centric approach?

A problem-centric approach in policing emphasizes understanding and addressing patterns or clusters of similar, related incidents to effectively tackle issues within a community. By focusing on these clusters, law enforcement can develop strategies tailored to specific problems, enabling them to be proactive rather than merely reactive. This strategy helps identify root causes and deploy resources more efficiently, fostering long-term solutions rather than addressing isolated incidents one by one.

The other choices represent narrower or less effective strategies. For example, solely responding to serious crimes lacks a comprehensive perspective on community safety, as it ignores less severe but still impactful issues. Incident response training, while vital, does not address the underlying problems that contribute to crime, nor does it focus on patterns within incidents. Lastly, aiming for the closure of all cases within a month does not account for the complexities involved in investigations and could prioritize speed over thoroughness, potentially compromising the quality of police work and community relations.