A Gong reunion in France prompted the Police to expand briefly into a quartet. Ex-Gong bassist Mike Howlett invited Sting and Stewart, along with a guitar player named Andy Summers, to record and perform some material that he had been working on. This reunion show in Paris put Sting, Stewart, and Andy together on stage for the first time. Andy was an experienced musician with a long list of credentials, and Sting and Stewart realized that he would be a perfect addition to their Police project. Thus, when Andy saw the Police perform weeks later at the Marquee and approached them about joining the band, Stewart, Sting, and Henry accepted, and Stewart's trio grew into a quartet. But this arrangement would last for only a few weeks.

Sting had realized that he could do better than the average punk musician and had begun giving his ideas to Stewart, writing new songs and restructuring some of his older material to be included in the Police repertoire. These more complicated songs were an improvement over Stewart's original, simpler tunes, and Andy's technique and artistry gave Sting's songwriting new opportunity to expand. But Sting's new songs were an obstacle for Henry, whose technical skills were limited. The Police was taking a new direction, and it was time to make a decision: Henry was asked to leave the band.

These early days weren't easy for the Police. The "punk" label did not fit well at all, and Stewart could see that his project was evolving into something different than he had envisioned. Money was also a big problem for the band, and they couldn't find a decent producer. But despite the hardships, Stewart remained optimistic. When Billy Ocean asked Sting to join his orchestra on tour, Stewart convinced the bassist to turn down the job and believe in his Police project.

Andy Summers had made a previous commitment to a German avant-garde electronic musician and asked if he could bring his new band mates along for the job; Eberhard Schoener was more than happy to have the band and hired them for his laser theater tour. This tour gave the Police the chance to finally earn enough money to invest in the recording of their first album. The album was produced by the Police with Nigel Gray, who was able to capture the band's new sound, a combination of reggae influences, pop, and rock that still retained some of its older punk vibe.

Another important technician who gave the band a helping hand with its sound was road manager Kim Turner, who assisted the band at its live shows. Most audiences of the time were used to listening to dry punk guitar riffs, but with Kim's experience and expertise, the Police was able to make a different impact on the crowd. With their new and improved sound in place, Andy, Stewart, and Sting were ready to make history. But it wouldn't be easy.