Abstract

The political ideology and philosophy of increased marketization of services provided by the public sector since the 1990s has led to confusion of roles, relationships and values in the wider sector and, in particular, public police services in liberal democracies. Adoption of this approach could lead to less effective provision of police services and thereby diminish community safety and heighten citizens’ fear of crime. This paper will examine the phenomenon of ‘managerialism’ born out of the regime of ‘New Public Management’ which is still rife within operational policing where emphasis on outputs has taken precedence over quality of service and long-held traditions of common-sense law enforcement. The paper will discuss the implications of this phenomenon in relation to effective governance of the public police. Prioritising performance indicators that skew cause and effect and confuse outputs with outcomes and impact have been identified as potential causes for concern in that they may reduce long-term law enforcement or crime prevention benefits, lead to lower public trust and ultimately diminish police legitimacy. After identifying the current situation in Australia relating to this occurrence, the paper will offer some suggestions for consideration and conclusions in this debate which are globally relevant. While police forces must maintain productive performance within quality standards of efficiency, effectiveness and economy set inside continuous improvement of front line services, this must be delivered in a vision complying with the rule of law, police integrity and human rights.