Understanding occupational (sub) culture – a precursor for reform: The case of the police service in England and Wales
International Journal of Public Sector Management
ISSN: 0951-3558
Article publication date: 1 September 2003
Abstract
Over the past two decades successive British governments, both Conservative and Labour, have attempted to implement reforms within the English and Welsh police service. The latest Labour government proposals have resulted in new legislation which paves the way for wide‐scale reforms of how the police are managed, financed and judged against specific performance targets. Further, the introduction of the UKs first “national policing plan” has led to the belief that this is a sign of the British government's intention to reduce/remove the historical, political neutrality identified through “constabulary independence”. Past experiences suggest that greater “nationalisation” of policing in the UK is unlikely to meet government expectations owing to the strength of police (sub) culture to adopt and yet resist reform and that the governments failure to pay attention to this may result in the failure of reform.
Keywords
Citation
Barton, H. (2003), "Understanding occupational (sub) culture – a precursor for reform: The case of the police service in England and Wales", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 346-358. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550310489296
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited