Police Leaders as Thinkers

Policing is about public service, and the future betterment of its function can be aided by a more thinking approach within its leadership. Given the complexity and change facing policing simply doing more of the same is problematic, as a focus on policing transactionally arresting its way out of challenges will not work in the future. In this chapter, thinking about police thinking reveals the benefits of reflexivity in shaping a more agile and listening service mission. In particular, the role of police leaders in setting the cultural ethos of thinking as a valuable operational tool is examined with examples of how this is possible by drawing upon contemporary practitioner experiences and insights.