Corporate Governance in Policing
Standards and Ethics
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is twofold: one is to canvass some issues relating to corporate governance for police work, particularly to emphasise the importance of expressing appropriate values. The second point is to illustrate that suggestion by providing examples of strategic governance issues of importance for police functioning: these latter points derive from the principles of corporate governance, and from the behavioural sciences. The conclusion is drawn that as policing is a constantly evolving process and organisation that can and should learn from recent developments. The paper also argues that the values expressed in a Code of Ethics are vital to efficient and moral functioning, and invests the principles of governance with both meaning and a means of judging the worth of such principles. The concept of paradoxical cause is mentioned in outline. It is designed to alert practitioners to issues which may be counterproductive in implementation. Five moderate suggestions are itemised and documented which are: the importance of the formal rules for meetings; using the strategies proposed by master strategists; the importance of having an ethical infrastructure; in discussions and debates the importance of separating issues from personality; and the setting of key performance indicators for assessing success.
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