Scarlett Haig talks to Mark Fenton-O’Creevy, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Chair of the Advisory Group for the Centre of Policing Research and Learning at the Open University Business School. He has conducted organisational research over more than three decades on organisations such as investment banks, multinational companies, and (more recently) policing organisations.

Mark shares his research for a recent article in Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, “Uncomfortable knowledge, the production of ignorance, and the trustworthiness of UK policing”. Mark asks how organisations that employ many good people can fail to challenge persistent and egregious misbehaviour to the extent that it threatens their legitimacy in the public eye. 

In part two he suggests how policing organisations might get comfortable with difficult realities and become organisations that learn from mistakes. The discussion also delves into the structural issues within policing that contribute to ignorance and hinder effective change. They explore the disconnections across the rank structure, the impact of a short-term focus, and the need for emotional support in addressing uncomfortable knowledge. The conversation emphasises the importance of courage and the recognition of systemic problems to foster a more effective policing environment.

Mark authored this article with Benjamin Bowles, Linda Maguire, and Emma Williams. The article is available here.

Dr Benjamin Bowles is a Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at SOAS , who draws on anthropological insights in the study of organisations.

Dr Linda Maguire is an Associate Professor and the Deputy Director of the Institute for Social Justice and Crime (ISJC), Suffolk University. She has helped influence national policy on police investigations of rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO).

Prof. Emma Williams is Director of the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Uniformed Public Services at Anglia Ruskin University and previously Director of the Centre for Policing Research and Learning at the Open University.

Scarlett Haig has previously conducted research with police officers for her masters in Anthropology at SOAS, University of London. She has been exploring the world of academia and policing for Policing TV.

Takeaways

• Structural issues in policing create conditions for ignorance.
• Disconnections across the rank structure hinder communication.
• Policing lacks training in constructive dissent and intelligent disobedience.
• Short-term focus can damage long-term operational capability.
• There are major gaps in strategic planning and implementation in policing.
• Inward focus limits learning from outside policing.
• Addressing systemic problems is crucial for effective change.
• Emotional support is necessary for grappling with uncomfortable knowledge.
• Courage is required to confront uncomfortable truths in policing.
• Good people in policing deserve a better organisational environment.

Sound Bites

• “What came out of our analysis?”
• “Disconnections across the rank structure.”
• “Addressing systemic problems is crucial.”

Chapters
00:00 – Understanding Structural Issues in Policing
09:51 – Addressing Barriers to Effective Change
14:05 – Emotional Challenges in Policing Reform

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