Deconstructing Lean policing in England and Wales: a knowledge creation perspective

Since the late 1970s successive UK governments have attempted to implement reforms across the English andWelsh police service (Seneviratne,2004).From a financial standpoint, policing is expensive, with a budget approaching £13 billion and employing upwards of 230,000 operational and support personnel. Policing is also ‘expensive’ from a societal and political standpoint,with poor policing practice negatively impacting public trust.This creates a complex situation for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and their respective chief constables, who are under pressure to reduce spending and to improve the effectiveness of the policing services they deliver. Notwithstanding such mutually exclusive drivers of improvement, further complexity has been introduced in recent decades.While public attitudes towards the police are generally positive, it is evident that the social context of policing is changing.As society has become increasingly divisive and fragmented, requirements of the police have changed.Consequently, the police services within England andWales face an internal need and external pressure to undergo transformation. The challenge for the police therefore is to introduce innovative ways of impro-ving efficiency and productivity of existing services, while at the same time improving public opinion as to their effectiveness in their ‘fight against crime’.This is likely to require significant reform, which will have a major impact on the form and structure of police organisations in England and Wales. To undergo such a dramatic transformation, it will also be necessary for those within the policing services to question their existing values and critically reflect on the role they see the service taking within society. As such, the pressure for ‘reform’ of established management practices as a proxy for improving performance within the police has led to tensions both internal and external stakeholders.While there is pressure from external stakeholders such as political leaders and the public for change, there is resistance from internal stakeholders who fear that significant changes will affect their ability to police effectively. For example, rank and file officers recognise that there is a need for some reform, although many reject calls for greater change (Garcia, 2005). Set against this resistance, successive governments have been frustrated in their many attempts at wide-scale reform.