2 John Dixon is the recently appointed Chief of Police for a major city in the UK. He has inherited a major problem in
that its residents are very concerned with various forms of antisocial behaviour and minor crimes carried out by a
small number of people, which makes living, working, travelling and socialising in the city centre unpleasant rather
than life threatening. The city’s residents have recently voted for it being one of the five worst cities in the UK in which
to live. There is little or no contact between the police and these residents.
The city is split into a number of police districts, each with its own senior officer in charge. Their focus is on the
response to emergency calls and solving serious crimes in their district rather than the less urgent crimes affecting
everyday living in the city. Response times and serious crime solution rates are the traditional measures by which their
performance is measured and leave them open to criticism of simply reacting to events. There is little sense of being
part of a city police force and, consequently, little sharing of information and experience between the different districts.
The failure in policing antisocial behaviour in the city is seen as being largely the result of a shortage of resources.
There are also important internal and external groups varying in their support or resistance to any necessary change
in policing strategy. Key players include the mayor of the city anxious to improve the reputation of the city, the city’s
press, traditionally used to highlighting police failures rather than successes and finally the courts of justice, which
are reluctant to take on the increased workload that any moves towards reducing antisocial behaviour would produce.
John is aware of the complexity of the problem he faces in changing the way the city is policed to improve the quality
of life of its citizens. He has, however, an impressive track record as a change agent in previous appointments and is
confident that he can bring about the necessary change.
Required:
(a) Using change management models where appropriate, provide John with a brief report on the nature of
change needed in the way the city is policed in order to improve the city’s quality of life. (12 marks)
