Policing the police service

Abstract

Recently public interest in the police service in Australia has emanated from extensive media coverage and from rising public accountability expectations. In light of this, the current paper explores how far the accounting, accountability and performance management systems within “new public management” ideals have evolved within the Australian police services. More specifically, it explores the accountability framework, information for performance evaluation and public sector reform implications for an Australian state police service as a whole, and an individual police station, in particular. The findings suggest that the police service in Australia has a rigid accountability structure and is continuously subject to performance evaluations. Further, it has been found that there is considerable rise of “new public management” ideals within the police services in Australia. It was apparent that the reforms in the police service had a dual purpose – legitimizing the police service to the electorate and ordinary citizens, while encouraging efficiencies of resource use.

Recognition and change: embracing a mobile policing initiative

“…radically alter their existing practices and cultures. This is due to a host of circumstances ranging from increasing demands for accountability and the impact of 'new public management' (Hoque et al, 2004), through the long-term impact of dwindling financial resources (U.S. Department of Justice, 2011; Grierson, 2017) and the challenges of both international and domestic terrorism (Klausen, 2009). Of particular interest here, is the impact of communication technologies which have proven to be an important resource both for law agencies (Lindsay et al, 2009;Byrne and Marx, 2011-13;Koper, 2015) as well as the criminal fraternity (Surette, 2015).…”

“…Yet despite such obstacles, police forces around the world are under increasing pressure to adapt and often radically alter their existing practices and cultures. This is due to a host of circumstances ranging from increasing demands for accountability and the impact of “new public management” (Hoque et al , 2004), through the long-term impact of dwindling financial resources (U.S. Department of Justice, 2011; Grierson, 2017) and the challenges of both international and domestic terrorism (Klausen, 2009).…”

Assessing what police officers do “on the job”: toward a “public values” approach

“…NPM strategies stress efficiency, effectiveness, and greater accountability from public sector organizations including the police . Similar strategies have been adopted in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries (Hoque et al, 2004;Micheli and Neely, 2010). Gilling (2014) argues that as a result of NPM-inspired reforms, policing in the UK moved away from a traditional bureau-professional model based on professional expertise and bureaucratic routine toward a managerialist approach emphasizing efficiency and accountability.…”

Measuring Multi-Agency South Wales Police Corruption: Implications of Evidence from Within

“…This, therefore suggests the inherent need for reform (Prenzler & Ransey, 2002) and more streamlined, informed and necessary governance and accountability requirements beyond just politically derived data (Chapman, 1970). However, developing more effective means to assess and transform policing practices in South Wales would require more than just conducting system audits of recorded incident data (Prenzler, 2009) or external operating integrity assessments (Hoque, Arends & Alexander, 2004). Consequently, utilising policing surveys (Ede & Legosz, 2002) does very little as they project unsupported and unsubstantiated opinion lacking in authoritive scope, reliability and significance (Klockars, et al, 2000).…”