Shifting oversight: the evolution of modern police performance management in England and Wales

This study analyzes the evolution of police performance management (PM) in England and Wales from 1979 to 2023 using the punctuated equilibrium model of organizational evolution. Through an analysis of four successive Governments, we identify three major shifts in the approach to police PM. We argue that continued changes to PM systems, frameworks, and cultures have led to a move from a centrally driven performance management agenda to a more fragmented but locally based approach, focused less on data collection and output measures, and more on improvements in outcomes. We consider the implications for PM of broader public sector bodies.