Police will visit burglary victims within an hour, but only if they are upset or feeling "vulnerable" the Government is expected to announce.
It could take as long as two days for police to arrive otherwise.
The guidelines are among 10 new police "pledges" to be unveiled to the public by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
The pledge will say: "If attendance is needed", the police will "send a patrol giving you an estimated time of arrival. If you are vulnerable or upset, officers will aim to be with you within 60 minutes."
It adds however: "Alternatively, if appropriate, we will make an appointment to see you at a time that fits in with your life and within 48 hours.
"If agreed that attendance is not necessary we will give you advice, answer your questions and / or put you in touch with someone who can help."
Other pledges include neighbourhood policing teams who are meant to be visible 80 per cent of the time as they patrol the streets.
Officers should also be at the scene of an emergency 999 call within 15 to 20 minutes.
The pledges also include treating the public "fairly", with "dignity and respect" and involving them in local policing issues.
Miss Smith will be hoping the pledges, to be issued across the country by the end of the year, will help restore public trust in the police.
Complaints against police officers in England and Wales have risen to record levels.
Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: "This re-hashed re-announcement is typical of a government that has run out of ideas.
"On the one hand, it includes policy proposals - such as crime-mapping - copied directly from the Conservatives.
"On the other hand, attempts to prescribe quotas and response times look like the return of discredited Whitehall targets under another name."
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