Cultural reformation: a case for intervention within the police service

The English and Welsh police epitomise organisations that are steeped in tradition. As a result, instituting any meaningful and lasting reform has always been a major challenge. Over the past two decades, attempts at reform have arisen in response to Government and public concerns over perceived inadequacies of particular police practices and procedures, which in turn has resulted in new legislation. Running in parallel there have been greater levels of external scrutiny with issues of value for money and performance measurement being central to the reform process. Such has been the scale of these changes that it has increased the resolve of many officers to resist further attempts at reform. Police occupational culture and its perpetuation are identified as key barriers that have substantially impeded the success of the reform agenda. It is argued that in order to mediate the influence of this strong occupational culture there is a need for intervention at different stages during a police officers' career in the form of independent mentoring and training. Finally it is argued that it is the failure of both Government and senior police managers to pay sufficient attention to these areas that has resulted in the apparent failure of the many initiatives at police reform.