ARE the police mergers on or off? Have they been scrapped, as some headline writers have suggested, or are they merely on a back burner while John Reid focuses on making the Home Office “fit for purpose”? In truth, behind the headlines there is a discussion regarding the shape of the reforms and an acceptance that the status quo is not an option. The question that now needs to engage the stakeholders, the forces and the Home Office is what the options for reform might be.

The imperative for change was put forward again by Charles Clarke when he warned us that not forging ahead with the reforms could “seriously hamper” the police’s ability to fight terrorism and organised crime. The criminal landscape has changed to such an extent that strategic change is still required, in spite of the told-you-so protestations of some (not all) of the opponents.

To get an idea why Reid has diverted his focus from the police forces, take a look at the Whitehall league tables and plans to refocus the department announced last Wednesday. Reid knows that there are massive people and organisational issues in the Home Office as well as those considered in any police mergers, so it is not surprising that he has decided not to eat the elephant in one go.

For strategic change in the forces to succeed, the case needs to be revisited, better articulated and sold. Creating the right solution requires more participation from experienced senior police officers and the Government needs to provide some well thought out guiding principles that are not up for negotiation.

A clear vision which defines the future service needs to be developed and then definitive plans for its execution set in motion.

Wide-ranging change requires more money, capability and experience than it had this time around, while more time is needed to smooth the way under the umbrella of Workforce Modernisation, a programme already under way.

There needs to be clarity around whether a full or loose federation of forces is to be opted for, or a collaborative model in which case roles and accountabilities must be defined sooner rather than later. A cynic might ask why a collaborative model is an option. Surely collaboration between forces already exists. Doesn’t it? Finally, the impact of the planned change on the workforce needs to be assessed and the vision clearly articulated at a national and local level. This clarity and transparency will avoid tensions and low engagement in all staff during times of uncertainty.

Leadership will emerge as the biggest critical success factor. Many in the service won’t like the term, but “emotional intelligence” and a coaching style will need to sit alongside the excellent mobilisation and crisis management that already exists in spades. The police workforce is changing in terms of expectations and the way it expects to be led.

In the meantime, a strong sense of “business as usual” needs to prevail while at the same time the journey is embarked upon, remembering that . . . “Without a vision, the people perish,” according to King Solomon, and, as Lewis Carroll wrote: “If you don’t know where you’re going, all roads lead there.”

Grahame Russell is managing director of human resource consulting at Penna, a management consultancy

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