In Search of Purpose and Priorities: Police Performance Indicators in England and Wales

The notion of police performance needs to be unpacked into what is done; how it is done; and the results of what is done. But performance indicators are inextricably bound up with the objectives of policing. The change in these objectives and in police performance indicators that have taken place between their inception in 1992 and 2004 in England and Wales reflect political priorities but portray a continual shift in focus. Without a fuller public discussion about the objectives of policing, efforts to improve public satisfaction with policing are likely to fail. What is needed is a set of priorities that are consistent and embedded in a three-year policing plan that actually stays in place for three years.