Modernising UK Police Services: Reform and Government Agenda

Introduction

The modernisation of public services is taking place in response to evolving governmental agendas. The issue and need for modernisation and reform in the public service may seem at first to be self-explanatory. It is generally accepted that all public services departments should be continually upgraded and improved as a matter of course, in order to maintain standards and meet requirements. However, the situation is more complex than it may appear. The idea of reform and modernisation must be considered in relation to other factors that necessitate this reform in the first place — factors that are also responsible for shaping the governmental agendas behind reform initiatives.

One such factor is the reality that we live in a rapidly evolving and changing world. The rate of change in modern society is being fuelled by new and increasingly sophisticated technologies, including innovative forms of communication and the Internet. These changes bring about new challenges and problems that public services must address. In this light, modernisation is a concept that must be continually revisited to deal with new areas of concern.

A central area of concern in our changing world is crime and public security. The public service that stands at the forefront of such issues is the police service. As this paper will discuss, there are a wide range of threats to public safety and security that have been created by the technological age and the contemporary environment. Coupled with this are the changing perceptions and expectations of the modern police service. This is an especially complex issue, as the modern police service needs to reshape its image to meet contemporary requirements and to distance itself from more conservative views of its functioning — all while responding to new forms of crime and criminal activity.

One of the central aspects of public service modernisation is the need for greater interaction and understanding between the police and the public. This is just one of many considerations that fall under the heading of modernisation in the police services, and it is a prime aspect of the government's reform agenda. It should also be noted that there are many reports attesting to the fact that public services, including the police, have improved dramatically in recent years. While there is a drive to make public services "world class," many observers point out that this can only be achieved when the idea of modernisation is matched to the contemporary needs and demands of society.

Challenges and Governmental Agendas

The need for modernisation in the public services — and in the police services in particular — is highlighted by numerous documents, papers, and reports that stress the imperative of reform. These reactions to perceived new challenges are incorporated into government policy documents that make special mention of the police services. As one report notes:

"As globalisation and the advances of technology revolutionise the lives of the law-abiding majority, new opportunities open up for opportunistic and determined criminals alike. Organised crime across international borders, e-crime and the threat from international terrorism continue to grow." (From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing Our Communities Together)

References are also made to the increasing threat posed to public safety by the abuse of drugs and alcohol, which have become among the main causes of crime. There is likewise a growing problem with re-offenders — those who return to criminal activity even after incarceration.

The battle against crime has also become more complex and technological, which means that police services must be modernised to cope with these new threats. This has placed new emphasis on specialisation within the police force, with a growing need for experts in areas such as crime analysis and computer fraud.

These are all aspects that must be taken into consideration with regard to envisaged changes in policy during the modernisation process. The increasing importance of including other partners in the fight against crime — such as large businesses — is also noted, with calls for these partners to be coordinated and incorporated into a more extensive and integrated set of governmental policy frameworks.

These factors have been a driving force behind governmental policy changes and are seen as motivating factors behind reform and modernisation. Another factor incorporated into reform plans is greater attention to democratic mechanisms for public involvement and participation in the police services from all sectors of the community. Taken together, these factors set the agenda for governmental reform in the police services.

Aspects of Modernisation in the Police Force

The Green Paper From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing Our Communities Together, presented by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, provides important perspectives on the modernisation and reform process. One of its cardinal issues is that it "sets out a new vision for a 21st century police service that gives the police greater power and sets out a clear deal for what the public can expect from the police." This is an important point, as it refers to increased powers for the police services — a matter of contention that will be addressed in a later section of this paper.

The Green Paper also calls for "greater freedom and flexibility" in the police service in order to deal more effectively with new issues and problems. Importantly, it also addresses what the public expects of the police and the kind of services citizens wish to receive. This introduces a number of key modernisation issues, as the reform of the police force must be perceived by the public as positive rather than restrictive or overbearing. The agenda towards modernisation therefore includes, as a central aspect, the need for a more open and integrated relationship with the public:

"At the heart of this relationship is the importance of empowering citizens through an enhanced role for the public's voice in policing; driving professionalism in the service through greater freedom and discretion for all police forces to deliver increased public confidence; and ensuring a more strategic role for government." (From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing Our Communities Together)

Several documents reinforce this central aspect of the modernisation agenda. For instance, it is proposed that a new Policing Pledge should be implemented, which would embed "neighbourhood policing into the broader management of local neighbourhoods; and through being able directly to elect the individuals that will both Chair their local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) and form the majority on their police authority." This is related to the important aim of increasing democratisation and improving the image of the police force:

"We will strengthen the democratic link between the public and the people who hold the police to account. We will introduce local directly elected Crime and Policing Representatives who will be responsible for ensuring that the police are tackling the priorities that concern us most." (From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing Our Communities Together)

Another document, Excellence and Fairness: Achieving World Class Public Services, reiterates this aspect of the agenda, stating that public services should be tailored to meet the personalised requirements of citizens and that "No centrally driven or centrally accountable system can operate in this fine-grained way when confronted with literally millions of different public service users." Central to the modernisation agenda is a focus on the local dimension and the way that government plans and policies should interface with successes already achieved in neighbourhood policing. It is suggested that this should extend to "allowing the public to elect a majority of their members directly from their communities."

Conclusion

The central argument outlined in this paper is that new demands of the technology age, together with threats posed by terrorism and increasingly sophisticated modes of crime, have necessitated intensive modernisation of the police services. The growing threat of terrorism in particular has set the governmental agenda for far-reaching reforms and modernisation initiatives.

However, these modernisation measures are not universally well received. In some quarters it is felt that reforms may result in the police force becoming excessively powerful, and concerns have been raised about the increasing possibility of an invasion of privacy rights. The counter-argument to this concern is that the envisaged increase in public involvement and interaction will serve to ensure that police services do not overstep appropriate boundaries.

What is clear at this juncture is that any meaningful policy reform requires a well understood and accepted balance between extremes. The modernisation of the police services should not be perceived in a negative light, but should in reality serve the needs of the community. This is a cardinal consideration that is likely to remain the focus of future debate.

Bibliography

Excellence and Fairness: Achieving World Class Public Services, viewed May 8, 2009.

From the Neighbourhood to the National: Policing Our Communities Together. Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, 2008, viewed May 7, 2009.

Modernising the Police Service: A Report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, viewed May 8, 2009.

Police Authority Budgets Face Cap, viewed May 8, 2009.