Quick Links
Being a patrol officer and dealing with criminals in a fictional city inspired by the 1980s United States is a brilliant idea thatThe Precinctexecutes pretty well.Players start the game as a low-rank officer, patrolling in smaller regions of the city, but as they earn more reputation (XP), they gain access to new regions, unlock new weapons, upgrade their personal attributes, and even get to drive new police vehicles.
However, earning XP inThe Precinctis not grind-free. The player needs to be active during their patrol shift and complete arrests toearn more XP, but that’s not all players can do. There are some tiny tricks in the process of investigating and arresting suspects that could reward the player with more XP, making every arrest more fruitful for them.
A simple but effective way to score a free 50 XP inThe Precinctis to Read Rights for the suspects when you handcuff them. A button prompt will briefly appear on the screen as you handcuff the suspect, and pressing it in time will allow you to read their rights to remain silent.
If you refuse or forget to read rights, an XP penalty will be applied when finishing up the task, which is something you should avoid.
Arrest Suspects In Your Territory
Whenever your shift begins, a highlighted zone will be shown on the mini-map, which showcases your patrol zone. Every task that you pick up is highly recommended to befinished within your own territory, as it comes witha bonus of 50 XP.
If the suspect leaves the territory, it will result in a “Suspect Escaped” penalty in the XP calculation, which subtracts 25 XP. Even if the player manages to arrest the suspect outside of their territory, the negative XP will still remain effective.
As a result, it is strongly recommended to pick shifts that have a greater patrol zone than others, as they will increase your chance of capturing the suspects within the area. After making enough progress in the game, you will be able to customize your shift with the ability to change the patrol zones.
Do The Investigation Steps In Order
The Precinctallows players to investigate any civilian on the street. You can just step in someone’s way and ask them some personal information, but do note that when the suspect has not done anything wrong yet, you should follow the investigation steps in order to avoid a penalty.
So, alwaysstart by checking the suspect’s IDand then searching their pockets. Doing it vice versa will result in an XP penalty even if the target is proven guilty afterward.
In case the suspect carries no contraband and has a clear history, you should let them go, but if they do carry illegal stuff, you should treat them according to the law.Someone who carries a drug should always be arrested, but carrying counterfeit items will be resolved by issuing a fine unless the suspect does something else, like evading arrest or assaulting a police officer. Arresting a suspect who should only get a fine will also result in an XP penalty. So, make sure to check the handbook if you have doubts.
The next step after handcuffing the suspect is to add offenses. Keep in mind that adding offenses is a one-off thing; the moment you choose an offense, it will be submitted, and no editing is allowed. So, make sure to choose offenses correctly.Every wrong offense will result in a -50 XP penalty. While this process can be delegated to your fellow officer, it’s best to do it yourself, because every correct offense adds 50 XP to the tally, while delegating the process only rewards an overall of 50 XP.
Another trick to increase XP gained can be used when the suspect is inside a car. The best order to investigate in this case is as follows: Check ID, Try Breathalyzer, Check Car Trunk, Ask Driver to Exit Car, Search Possessions, Let Go/Add Offenses, Arrest or Issue Fine.
Escort Suspects To The Precinct And Book Them
Probably the biggest amount of XP that most players miss out on inThe Precinctregardsbooking the suspects. Earlier in the game, players learn how to do it, but when they get busy, they may justcall for escort unitsto take the suspects to the precinct, and that is a big mistake. When a support unit escorts the suspect, you only gain 50 XP, while booking them personallygrants 250 XP.
Of course, this will take some extra time to get the suspect to the precinct and book them, which burns your shift time, but the reward is well worth it. If you arrest five suspects, for example, and call support units to escort them, you are missing out on 1,000 XP, which is just too big to be ignored.
Also, remember that the initial police car that you drive hastwo seats for suspects. So, once you arrest a suspect and get them in the car, you don’t need to take them immediately to the precinct. You can still patrol, find another suspect, and then deliver both of them in one trip, which cuts down on the time you waste in between.
Just keep in mind that when you are taking one suspect to the station for booking, your partner, Kelly, may bring the other one. So, wait for him to enter the station and then take the suspect from him and deliver them yourself to net the bonus XP.
Seize Evidence And Cover Corpses
Sometimes, the crime scene can get bloody in the blink of an eye. Whenever there is a shooting involved, there will be bodies on the ground along with some weapons.Bodies should be coveredonce the shooting is over, andall weapons must be seized as evidence. You will get prompt buttons for all of this once you are close enough.
Seizing evidence is not always limited to aggressive crimes. Sometimes, when searching a suspect or arresting them, they might drop an item such as a weapon, which can be seized as evidence.
Don’t Confuse The Offenses
One of the biggest mistakes that many players make inThe Precinctis confusing the offenses. To get them accurately, you need to read the handbook. That said, it can be boring just reading all those rules, so here is a rule of thumb:
Some offenses are pretty clear, and you can’t mix them up, like Burglary, Littering, and Driving Under Influence. A quick hint for you isthe name of the crime in the top-right corner. If you ever forget or doubt what the main crime was, just check out its name, andthat’s your first offense to add.
The crimes that people mostly mix up are Hit and Run, Assault, and Evading Arrest. Keep in mind thatif a suspect pushes you away or fights, it’s not Evading Arrest,it’s just Assault. However, if the suspect runs away, then that becomes Evading Arrest. If there’s no hit involved, you should drop Assault from the offense list.
Now, speaking of Hit and Run,when a vehicle drives away and hits some vehicles in between, that won’t be Hit and Run. That will just be Speeding and Evading Arrest. Hit and Run only applies when a vehicle hits another one and flees. You will usually find Hit and Run as the name of the crime in these cases.
Pick Parking Violation Shifts
The easiest andbest way to earn XP inThe Precinctwithout any headaches is to justwrite ticketsfor those who violate parking rules. It’s quite easy, and you will find plenty of violations during your shift. Keep in mind that picking a parking violation shift will not prevent you from treating other crimes like Burglary or Hit and Run.
If you solely focus on parking violations,you can easily ticket over 30 vehicles. If you also attempt to do some other tasks in between, ticketing 20 vehicles in a 6-hour shift is still possible. Each ticket earns you100 XP, and the good news is that some cars have more than one violation, which means you can write more tickets for them.
Now, if you just book two criminals and ticket 20 vehicles, that will net you around 2,500 XP, but you will still have time to do more on your shift.Hitting beyond 3,000 XPin each parking violation shift is guaranteed, and that’s the easiest task in the game. You don’t have to check ID, add offenses, arrest, or even escort; you just write the ticket and leave.
