A force to reckon with

The police are unusual among the public services in having successfully resisted the wider reform agendas of both main political parties. Almost uniquely, they were left untouched by the Thatcher revolution and have not experienced significant organisational change even under a Labour government that has made public service reform a priority. Labour has invested more money and required the police to follow Whitehall performance targets. But in terms of structure or how the police are governed and held to account, there has been surprisingly little change in the past 30 years.

By IPPR, UK.

Governance Policy Resource.