NCJ Number
127959
Journal
Policing Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1990) Pages: 596-606
Date Published
1990
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The control exercised by the British Home Office on individual provincial police forces is examined by the Audit Commission as to the hampering effects on local police management and performance.
Abstract
The Audit Commission's viewpoint is that the police service is "over-controlled" by the British Home Office, by police authorities, and by force headquarters. Their solution involves enhancing performance by a major push to delegate responsibility and accountability downward. The various problems of direct control on local police forces and examples of those problems are discussed in view of financial management. Methods of measuring police performance are discussed as to validity and usefulness with the conclusion that in the absence of adequate performance monitoring, central controls concentrate on how many police are employed and how much money has been spent. Several fiscal changes are recommended to bring responsibility and accountability downward such as financial control of manpower and capital and local discretionary spending. Also various structures of control are suggested from regional to national to local reductions of subdivisions to assist in holding down costs while improving police performance and initiative. 2 appendixes