Uniform styles II

Police families and policing styles

Bibliographic Data

ID12364320
AuthorsChristopher Mark Hale (0000-0002-0066-892X, corresponding author), Stephen P Uglow, Robert K Heaton (0000-0001-8786-7480)
Year2005
Volume15
Issue1
Pages1-18
Publication date2005-02-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolicing & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1043-9463 • E-ISSN: 1477-2728
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1043946042000338904
OpenAlexW1977326517
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited5

In recent years, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has supported government efforts to develop a “performance culture” within the service. To this end, “families of forces” have been proposed, with the intention that forces’ performance may be compared with others that operate in similar environments. There have been simultaneous developments in the adoption by forces of defined “policing styles”, some of which have received statutory backing in a bid to reduce crime rates. This article argues that if forces adopt particular policing styles in objective response to their environments, there should be consistency of policing styles within each family of forces. In fact, no link between families of forces and policing styles is apparent. Furthermore, it is suggested that particular policing styles may be suited to tackling different aspects of criminality, that their integration will present structural and resources problems, and that the potential for policing to reduce crime levels remains limited. Keywords: CentralizationIntelligence-ledInspectoratePerformanceEffectivenessPolicing styles Notes Chris Hale is Professor of Criminology at Kent Criminal Justice Centre, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK. Steve Uglow is Professor of Criminal Justice at Kent Criminal Justice Centre, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK. Rob Heaton is undertaking postgraduate research at the University of Kent. Tasking and Coordinating Groups comprise senior officers from the uniform, crime and intelligence arenas who hold regular meetings to determine the police response to current and anticipated criminal activity based upon analyzed intelligence. Basic Command Units are the first level of division of a police force, being predominantly self-sufficient in resources for routine policing and typically commanded by an officer of Superintendent rank. Policing styles of individual forces were determined according to the following references: Wiltshire (HMIC, Citation1999e: 3, 33); Norfolk (Chief Constable's/PoliceAuthority Report, 1999–2000: 2); West Mercia (HMIC, Citation2001f: 2, 33–37); Suffolk (HMIC, Citation2000h: 2, 15); Cambridgeshire (HMIC, Citation1998b: 1, 42); Derbyshire (HMIC, Citation2001a: 13); Gloucestershire (HMIC, Citation2000e: 1); Cheshire (HMIC, Citation2000b: 18); Leicestershire (HMIC, Citation1999d: 2); Suffolk (HMIC, Citation2000h: 24, 25); Northamptonshire (HMIC, Citation2000g: 1, 42); Hampshire (HMIC, Citation1999c: 16); Kent (HMIC, Citation2002: 15); Nottinghamshire (HMIC, Citation2001d: 17); Durham (HMIC, Citation2000d: 2, 15–16); North Wales (HMIC, Citation2001c: 9, 11); Cumbria (HMIC, Citation1999a: 1, 17; Chief Constable's Annual Report, 1999–2000: 8); Humberside (Chief Constable's Annual Report, 1999–2000: 2); Dyfed–Powys (HMIC, Citation1999b: 3, 40); North Yorkshire (HMIC, Citation1998c: 39); Cleveland (HMIC, Citation2000c: 1, 17–18; Chief Constable's Annual Report, 1999–2000: 3; Police Authority Annual Report, 1999–2000: 11); Lincolnshire (HMIC, Citation2000f: 11, 22). Additional informationNotes on contributorsChristopher M. Hale Chris Hale is Professor of Criminology at Kent Criminal Justice Centre, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK. Steve Uglow is Professor of Criminal Justice at Kent Criminal Justice Centre, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK. Rob Heaton is undertaking postgraduate research at the University of Kent

Community policing · Computer security · Criminology · Political science · Sociology · Computer Science · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Psychology

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