Governing the Police: Experience in Six Democracies

Every modern democracy in our increasingly complex world must confront a fundamental problem: how should politicians manage police, ensuring that they act in the public interest while avoiding the temptation to utilize them in a partisan manner? Drawing on first-hand experiences from six democracies, the authors describe how frequently disagreements arise between politicians and police commanders, what issues are involved, and how they are resolved. Governing the Police is organized into three parts: the intellectual and governmental context of democratic governance; the experience of chief officers in that relationship; and the reflections on lessons learned. Instead of describing practices within each individual country, it compares them across countries, developing generalizations about practices, explanations for differences, and assessments of success in managing the police/political relationship. Focusing mainly on the daily, informal interactions between politicians and police as they balance their respective duties, this book compares the experiences and opinions of chief police officers in Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, and the United States. By examining the experiences of important officials, the authors explain how the balance between accountability and independence can be managed and what challenges leaders face. The authors conclude by posing well-informed recommendations for improving police governance.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments 1 A Democratic Dilemma Part I: Contexts 2 When Things Go Wrong 3 History and Research 4 Settings and Systems Part II: The Practice of Police Governance 5 Governing at the Cutting Edge 6 Advice about Managing Part III: Re-thinking Police Governance 7 Why Governance Fails 8 The Changing Contexts of Governance 9 Improving Police Governance Index

About the Author :
David H. Bayley is distinguished professor emeritus in the School of Criminal Justice, State University of New York at Albany, USA. Philip C. Stenning is professor of criminology and criminal justice, and a member of the Griffith Criminology Institute, at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.

Review :
-An excellent addition to what is a now sizeable literature on the democratic oversight of modern policing. Given its authors--two of the world's authorities on the subject--it will be no surprise that this is a stimulating, wide-ranging and original treatise. Scholars and students alike, in whichever country they may be working, will find Governing the Police invaluable.- --Tim Newburn, London School of Economics, UK -Governing the Police examines the working relationship between the top police executive and their political bosses in six English-speaking democracies. ... Bayley and Stenning do a remarkable job of providing insight and understanding into these complex relationships. They have analyzed the various mechanisms that have been established to solve this problem in the countries studied and none of them seem to offer a fully satisfactory solution. Governing the Police makes an important contribution to our understanding of this complex issue and should be read by both chiefs and politicians.- --Darrel Stephens, executive director, Major Cities Chiefs Association -Bayley and Stenning have made an original contribution to the comparative study of policing in democratic societies. Police studies have long been too parochial, with an absence of examinations of which features of governing the police are common among all democracies and which features are unique to particular countries. Governing the Police focuses on the day-to-day tensions between proper public direction of law enforcement agencies and illegitimate political interference.- --Samuel Walker, University of Nebraska at Omaha "An excellent addition to what is a now sizeable literature on the democratic oversight of modern policing. Given its authors--two of the world's authorities on the subject--it will be no surprise that this is a stimulating, wide-ranging and original treatise. Scholars and students alike, in whichever country they may be working, will find Governing the Police invaluable." --Tim Newburn, London School of Economics, UK "Governing the Police examines the working relationship between the top police executive and their political bosses in six English-speaking democracies. ... Bayley and Stenning do a remarkable job of providing insight and understanding into these complex relationships. They have analyzed the various mechanisms that have been established to solve this problem in the countries studied and none of them seem to offer a fully satisfactory solution. Governing the Police makes an important contribution to our understanding of this complex issue and should be read by both chiefs and politicians." --Darrel Stephens, executive director, Major Cities Chiefs Association "Bayley and Stenning have made an original contribution to the comparative study of policing in democratic societies. Police studies have long been too parochial, with an absence of examinations of which features of governing the police are common among all democracies and which features are unique to particular countries. Governing the Police focuses on the day-to-day tensions between proper public direction of law enforcement agencies and illegitimate political interference." --Samuel Walker, University of Nebraska at Omaha "An excellent addition to what is a now sizeable literature on the democratic oversight of modern policing. Given its authors--two of the world's authorities on the subject--it will be no surprise that this is a stimulating, wide-ranging and original treatise. Scholars and students alike, in whichever country they may be working, will find Governing the Police invaluable." --Tim Newburn, London School of Economics, UK "Governing the Police examines the working relationship between the top police executive and their political bosses in six English-speaking democracies. ... Bayley and Stenning do a remarkable job of providing insight and understanding into these complex relationships. They have analyzed the various mechanisms that have been established to solve this problem in the countries studied and none of them seem to offer a fully satisfactory solution. Governing the Police makes an important contribution to our understanding of this complex issue and should be read by both chiefs and politicians." --Darrel Stephens, executive director, Major Cities Chiefs Association "Bayley and Stenning have made an original contribution to the comparative study of policing in democratic societies. Police studies have long been too parochial, with an absence of examinations of which features of governing the police are common among all democracies and which features are unique to particular countries. Governing the Police focuses on the day-to-day tensions between proper public direction of law enforcement agencies and illegitimate political interference." --Samuel Walker, University of Nebraska at Omaha