Shifting the blame: towards a self-reforming police service in England and Wales

Abstract

Purpose The police service has been encouraged to become a “self-reforming sector”, yet there is an acknowledgement of a “blame culture” within the policing. The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers to “self-reform”, as identified by chief officers, and propose a series of strategies to help inform the future of police leadership. Design/methodology/approach The research is primarily underpinned by a series of semi-structured interviews with chief constables and a series of four workshops. Findings The paper argues that contemporary police cultures, and approaches to failure, are not conducive to the realisation of a “self-reforming” sector. It is proposed that strategic future leaders should consider establishing a common process for organisational learning whilst simultaneously encouraging cultural change that de-stigmatises failure and supports the development of adaptive and networked learning organisations. Research limitations/implications The research is limited by exclusively drawing on the perspective of chief officers and does not engage a representative cross section of the police service. The absence of detailed analysis of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary findings to complement the review of IPCC recommendations is a limitation that weakens subsequent conclusions. Finally, this research would benefit considerations of potential structural and organisational changes that would support the realisation of a “self-reforming sector”. Practical implications This research supports work by the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver police reform. Originality/value The paper is informed by new and original qualitative research explicitly focused on the perspective of senior police leaders.