Overview

This book adds to knowledge about chief police officers in England and Wales by exploring their understandings of the right of police to exercise power. Their beliefs, motivations, backgrounds, and cultures are examined. Light is cast on how they perceive power, coercion, control, policing purpose, gendered understandings, protecting people, vulnerability, policing by consent, discretion, operational independence, law and the oversight and political direction (or governance), and accountability of police. Chief officers used three legitimating narratives based on: protecting people — particularly the most vulnerable —  policing by consent, and law and the oversight and political direction of police. These accounts are assessed. Damaged processes of police governance that risk undermining police leadership and legitimacy are revealed. Critically, chief officers’ understandings of legitimacy are found to be confused, conflicted, and, above all, convenient in supporting them in asserting a privileged position from which they can pursue their preferences for the use of power. 

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9783030858810

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Ian Shannon's book Chief Police Officers' Stories of Legitimacy joins the list of 'must-read' books for those interested in police leadership and police leaders. ... A carefully crafted and well written book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of what we already know about police leadership and police leaders. ... The research will be of great interest to all police scholars and to those who care about the quality of policing and civil liberties. (Marisa Silvestri, Policing and Society, May 29, 2022)

Author Information

Ian Shannon is a fellow at the University of Leeds, UK, and completed his PhD at the University of Liverpool in 2018. From 1981 to 2013, he served as a police officer in three forces and he retired as a deputy chief constable. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2013.

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