Metropolitan Police Service - Entrepreneurship In Practice - Case Study Example

Metropolitan Police Service: Entrepreneurship in Practice The Metropolitan Police Service or MPS (more commonly known as Met) is a territorial policeservice for enforcing law in Greater London. It enjoys the respect of the civilized world (Thompson and Williams, 2013). The only part of UK they do not operate in is the square-mile of London, which is governed by the City of London police. The Met has more to do than conventional policing. They coordinate and lead a counterterrorism cell. They are also responsible for protecting the British Royal Family and other senior members of the Queens Government. A Police Department like Met, runs on democratic forces and rules. Their style of operating has turned them it into a democratic enterprise. According to Lynda Gratton (2004) a democratic enterprise is realistically viewed inside out from the perspective of the citizens. It is for this reason the Metropolitan Police Service works more like an entrepreneurial enterprise, taking care of more departments than a police force normally does. The field problems arise when then facilitating development of democratic practices in police departments abroad because it is a complex business (Bayley, 2005). However, success doesnt occur by chance. For instance to understand the workings of the Met one should look into east end of London and the CID of Metropolitan because they work in similar styles (Cockcroft, 2012). This is a classic example also evolutionary entrepreneurial policing system. It is widely understood concept that entrepreneurship is not teachable (Gasparski, 2011), even if that is true a society can be formed that promotes entrepreneurship. When looking at Met, this looks true because when this police service was started no one thought that this would translate into an entrepreneurial institute. The way this department is structured is based on entrepreneurial leadership skills. As of now, the structure of the police department comprises 48,661 full-time personnel (Metropolitan Police. N.d.). This force has 31,478 sworn police officers, 13,350 non-police staff and 3831 none sworn police community support officers. There is also a force of 5479 special constables that work on part-time basis (Metropolitan Police. N.d.). They have to work for a minimum of 16 hours each month but enjoy same powers and where it the same uniform as the rest of the police staff (Metropolitan Police. N.d.). In a Police Department the hiring is a bit complicated because it is almost impossible to predict the exact roles of the staff for the foreseeable future (Gottschalk, 2009). This complexity is compensated through entrepreneurial skills. In the past the police forces have usually been managed through bureaucracy. The police institutions in South Africa are prime examples. But the changing times demanded that they change their system and run it on open entrepreneurial systems (Reynecke & Fourie 2001). This open system is most visible in the Met. The Metropolitan police service holds the largest police force in the United Kingdom and is considered one of the biggest police forces on the globe. The departments Commissioner leads its overall operations. He bears both the responsibility and accountability, and is answerable to the mayors office. The hierarchy of Met is set according to entrepreneurial development. Sir Charles Rowan was the first commissioner of the department and held the seat jointly with Sir Richard Mayne Metropolitan Police. N.d. At this moment, Sir Bernard Hogan Howe governs this position, and Craig Mackey acts as his deputy commissioner (Metropolitan Police. N.d.). The essential elements of entrepreneurial governance like innovative thinking and acting, the cost-benefit analysis, control and evaluation, form the basis of Met. These elements are key to an effective policing like the South African Police Service (Fox, 1998). One example would be sufficient to justify this claim. Sir Robert peel during establishing the Metropolitan police wanted this to be a civil agency contrary to a military however he made sure that it is subjected to the strict military discipline, which is why Col. Charles Rowan was its first commissioner (Dempsey and Frost, 2009). The Metropolitan police service is also known by its old name the Scotland Yard (Robinson Library, n.d.). The department was formed in 1829 under the Metropolitan police act 1829, at the time of its inception it was merged with River Thames Marine Police Force. There have been some hierarchical adjustments in the position and power of Met. There have been tremendous police reforms since 1829. The transformation has not been vertical (from the top to the bottom), instead it is characterized by diffusion (Reynolds, 1998). This factor alone has contributed to its tremendous diversity. It is interesting to note that organized crimes are also committed through entrepreneurial channels. They have druglords, mafias, and other crime hierarchies that make it easier for criminals to operate. In fact the dimensions of criminal business enterprise is not because of an extension of managerial routine but it is due to emergence of entrepreneurial skills (Gottschalk, 2009). Is not the intention of the paper to imply that agencies need to fight fire with fire but there is some truth to that. As a result, since January 2012, the Mayor of London bears the responsibility for governing the Metropolitan Police. His responsibility is born through the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime (Metropolitan Police. N.d.). The police service holds five major departments (Metropolitan Police. N.d.); Specialist crime and operations directorate Territorial policing directorate Specialist operations directorate Resources directorate Information directorate Each of these departments is overseen by an assistant commissioner. A director of police staff, equivalent to civil staff grade, overseas it in case administrative departments are involved (Metropolitan Police. N.d.). The hierarchy runs top to bottom through commissioner, deputy commissioner, and finally to internal department heads. The UK police is a notable service industry providing overseas policing. Met exports policing styles to other European nations. Their effectiveness has earned them a higher reputation for their expertise in delivering efficient policing. They have great skills and are extremely experienced in their work which enables the UK governments to provide police assistance in promoting stability and conducting overseas peace operations. The business planning is in Police Department is a little complicated because there is considerable debate over what constitutes as good performance and how to measure it (Shane, 2007). But one measure of success is expansion and the Met has been very successful in expanding and stretching their operations. Since the early part of the 19th century the British police service has transformed so much that it has turned into a Metropole branching out throughout the empire. They have two main entrepreneurial styles; the civil/metropolitan style and a colonial/Irish style. In practical terms there is a cross practice between these two models. This diversification contributes to their rich international experiences. It is the distinguished police culture that helps Met in executing their police business plans. The associated characteristics with the police culture depend on identifying and assisting counselling agents that help in understanding individual and collective police behaviours (Kurke & Scrivener, 2013). After the World War II the international model of policing known as the modus operandi in the UK changed. The emergence of multilateral policing approaches abolished old practices. First, the Allied Control Commission, effective in Italy and Germany, functional in coordination with the military and then later on with the UN led missions like Operation des Nations Unies au Congo’ (ONUC, 1960-1964). The changes in the police governing structure was based on entrepreneurial practices. Police planning takes into consideration much more than an ordinary entrepreneurial enterprise. For instance a threat analysis in the governmental model is based on two fronts; risk assessment and vulnerability analysis (Ellis, 2007). If the whole purpose of entrepreneurial expansion can be summed up in a few words it will be the prevention of crimes. The first and foremost instructions given to the Metropolitan police in 1829 was not to apprehend criminals but to prevent crimes (Rodenburg, 2004), meaning any higher arterial or entrepreneurial innovation and changes that contributes to this goal will be welcomed by the Met. By taking these measures to consideration there has been a significant improvement in police performance. The following image is taken from MET annual report showing performance from 2011 to 2012; Source: Met Annual Report 2011-20121 In the wake of the Cold War, different phases and styles of the UK police services including the civil and the colonial styles made their way throughout the world. The UK government received several requests for police assistance in the Metropolitan police services proved their mettle. These requests were usually for the quasimilitary Northern Irish policing expertise. The Greek Civil War of 1946-49 was the major cause for this request. In a similar event the Metropolitan police service (civil mode) was given to Columbia during the 1950s. The Met even assisted the US troops in South Vietnam during the 1960s. It should be noted that considering the police department like the Met is purely an independent entrepreneurial corporate would be false. The Metropolitan police service operates under the nose of statutory legislative obligation. An old legislative act is sufficient to understand the supervision that the Met works under. Lord Shaftesbury’s Act of 1851 made the Metropolitan police responsible registering inspecting and, monitoring overcrowding in lodges (Kay, 2009). The key here is to understand that Met has to work under supervision and according to statutory obligations, what is assigned to them by the judges they have to execute it. The Metropolitan police service also have to think innovatively and capitalize on opportunities. John Disney is a well-known entrepreneur. His real entrepreneurial contribution was the London Marathon. He took part in the New York marathon in 1979 and considered the same could be done successfully in London to. However to execute successfully he needed cooperation from the authorities. The Metropolitan police service fully supported him when he personally took the members of the greater London Council to New York for raising sponsorship money (Bolton and Thompson, 2013). Suggested Business Plan It is difficult to suggest innovation and improvement for a department that is doing so well. The Met is considered one of the best. They are effective and efficient in the UK, and receive requests for assistance around the globe. However, there is always room for improvement. There are some aspects of the Met that the public is not pleased with. There have been incidences where protests against institutions like the Met have been observed in the UK. There have been allegations of negative steer typing of communities especially the Muslims by the Met (Lahnait, 2009). There is also an identified problem in the Metropolitan police service when in the late 19th century they fit the police officers with relatively modest incomes for investigating higher earning entrepreneurs that forgiving in things like drugs and pornography (Emsley & Shpayer-Makov, 2006). This gives the detectives an opportunity to play on the fringes of legality (Emsley & Shpayer-Makov, 2006). If a continuous auditory system can be established that regularly checks and improves such scenarios than a it will turn the Met to an even more efficient Institute. It would be a very complex model to eradicate any suspicion of prejudice or bias however there is one thing that can be proposed as a strong business model. After reading the reports, the hierarchical structure, and the various models that the police service uses, there is room for establishing a cybercrime complaint centre. As of this moment there is a department that monitors the cybercrime and online fraudulent activities, however, it is not as efficient and effective as the rest of the departments of the Met services. The police department can establish a cybercrime complaint centre to register online complaints of UK residents. This can be built as a separate branch or incorporated in the central unit, integrated with the current civil model. The objective of this unit would be to prevent crimes and anticipate the moves of cyber criminals. History suggests that cyber criminals are very intelligent people who are always changing strategies due to innovative technology. There is a huge list of fraudulent crimes that are committed over the internet including; money laundering, cyber bullying, harassment, blackmail, identity theft, stalking and selling substandard products. By establishing an online cybercrime complaint centre people will have direct access or a hot phone line to a representative of Met. It is better to have this department integrated within the current civil model of the Met because the police already has data over criminal activities in the UK. It would be easier to integrate additional data of cybercrimes. It is a fact that civic entrepreneurs like police departments cannot succeed alone, they are dependent on team efforts (Leadbeater & Goss, 1998). The two departments the cybercrime complaint cell and the convention police system can join forces to tackle the cybercriminal. They are essential for each other for effective results. Here is a scenario to understand what the model would include. A person receives an e-mail from an unknown person asking him/her to send money to a specific bank account in return the person would receive a huge sums of money within a few weeks. This is a classic scam that the majority is aware of. The receiver of such an anonymous e-mail can immediately call the service on toll-free number about this. They can correspond one-on-one over the phone or email and crime cell unit can use technology and data to track e-mail sender. Special software and services can be established to make sure that the residents of the UK do not receive manipulative or fraudulent e-mails. Similarly if a person is being harassed over social networks, through e-mails or any other cyber channel, they can simply call or e-mail the crime complaint centre at Met and report the problem. The purpose is to speed up the process of complaint filing. The persons filing a complaint will not be required to fill out tons of information on documents. They will have an assistant over phone that will be able to fill out the details without troubling person filing a complaint. In another hypothetical example if a persons inappropriate photos are being exposed by an extortionist over internet, the victim of such a crime can simply call that cybercrime complaint centre and report all the details. With their technology they can delete the pictures over internet too. The cybercrime complaint centre will be under statutory obligation to provide professional assistance while keeping all records under strict confidentiality. Extending the same hypothetical situation that cybercrime complaint centre will immediately report to the physical police departments of Met located throughout the UK and communicate data. This takes them lesser time to execute the operations and apprehending the criminal. Once located if the person is in UK the physical force on the ground can move and arrest the perpetrator. When a complaint is filed to phone or web, specifically assigned file will open and a unique number will be given to the complaint. A confirmation SMS will be sent to the complainer. The file will then be archived in a database with the original complaint. After analysing the complaint it will be sent to the concerned department within Met. This department will look into its details and the updates will be sent to the complainer regularly. The complainer will stay in the loop throughout the process. This model of cybercrime complaint Centre is better than the conventional complaint centres over the Internet because it offers the services of a call centre. People with complaints about cybercrimes can place the complaint easily. Their complaints along with the complete history will be archived in the database. Database will be updated regularly and will be communicated across the departments. When a file is complaint and registered it will be sent to an expert analyst in Met. These experts will be trained professionals and cybercrimes theyve also be equipped with the latest technology so they can keep up with the most advanced cybercriminal tactics and to stop them. The time given to each complaint depends on its nature and complexity. If the complaint is very technical equally sent to the relative department that have specific niche expertise in it. The reason for focusing on the call-centre aspect of the complaint Centre is to make sure that full details of the complaint are registered and archived similar to a 911 call. Find complaints about cybercrimes over the Internet through e-mails is definitely time efficient but it does not cater to the context but does not go to the core problems. In effective conversation but the complainer about cybercrime regardless of these magnanimity will help shape the database better enhance more information will prevent this cybercrime from occurring. The most prominent entrepreneurial skills of the Metropolitan police service manifest themselves in their services for the international policing system. Exporting policing service is a growing global industry in the UK plays a major role in it. Recent years have shown an increase in private security companies involved international policing. The hiring is usually performed by the UK police officers. Expanding through innovation, effective business planning and entrepreneurial skills. References 1. Bailey, D. H. 2005. Changing the guard: developing democratic police abroad. Oxford University press. A renowned criminologist David H. Bailey gives a thorough examination of reforming police force. The focus is specifically towards overseas operations which act as a means of encouraging democratic governments. Bailey analyzes hurdles in promoting democratic police environment and his analysis spans from 1991 to 2005. 2. Bolton, B. & Thompson, J. 2013. Entrepreneurs: talent, temperament and technique. London: Routledge. 3. Cockcroft, T. 2012. Police culture: Themes and concepts. London: Routledge. 4. Dempsey, J. & Forst, L. 2009. An introduction to policing. New York: Cengage Learning. John S. Dempsey Linda S. Forst are professors of criminal justice. This book gives the readers an overview of worldwide policing. The great thing about the book is the combination of theory and practice, and issues studied include Homeland Security. The book is also a good read for career advice and police services. 5. Ellis, J. W. 2007. Police analysis and planning for homicide bombings: prevention, defence, and response. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publishers. 6. Emsley, C. & Shpayer-Makov, H. 2006. Police detectives in history, 1750-1950. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing. 7. Fox, W. 1998. Police management in South Africa. Kenwyn: Juta and Company. 8. Gasparski, W. W. 2011. Entrepreneurship. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. 9. Gratton, L. 2004. The democratic enterprise: Liberating your business with freedom, flexibility and commitment. Essex: FT Press. 10. Gottschalk, P. 2009. Entrepreneurship and organized crime; Entrepreneurs in illegal businesses. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Peter Gottschalk is a professor of information management at Norwegian school of management, Norway. The book is a unique insight to the boundary between legal and illegal entrepreneurship. It gives a unique perspective on entrepreneurship and organize crimes. 11. Gottschalk, P. 2009. Knowledge management in police oversight: Law enforcement integrity and accountability. Boca Raton: Brown Walker Press. 12. Kay, A. C. 2009. The foundations of female entrepreneurship: enterprise, home, and household in London, C. 1800-1870. London: Routledge. Allison Kay in this book focuses on British women especially in the Victorian environment. She focuses on the relationship between home, security and household headship, and how all of this is reflected into entrepreneurship. 13. Kurke, M. I. & Scrivner, E. L. 2013. Police psychology into the 21st century. Psychology press. This book is an excellent read to get the picture futuristic policing. The book reflects how proactive problem solving and incident driven perspectives are used in police tactics. Different chapters have different authors ranging from psychologists to federal agents to civilians. 14. Lahnait, F. 2009. The role of binational entrepreneurs as social and economic bridge builders between Europe and North Africa. Amsterdam: IOS Press. 15. Leadbeater, C. & Goss, S. 1998. Civic entrepreneurship. London: Demos. 16. Metropolitan Police. N.d. Leadership. Met Police UK. Received 22 Mar. 14. http://content.met.police.uk/Site/managementboard 17. Reynecke, J. and Fourie, M. 2001. Police management beyond 2000. Lansdowne: Juta and Company. 18. Roodenburg, H. 2004. Social control in Europe. Ohio State University Press. 19. Reynolds, E. A. 1998. Before the Bobbies: the night watch and police reform in Metropolitan London, 1720-1830. Stanford University Press. 20. Robinson Library. N.d. Scotland Yard. The Robinson Library. Retrieved 22 Mar. 14 http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/social/pathology/criminal/police/scotyard.htm 21. Shane, J. M. 2007. What every chief executive should know: Using data to measure police performance. New York: Looseleaf Law Publications. Jon. M. Shane gives a critical view about the police force practices and especially how the statistics in police force impact the performance. For instance the author investigates how many police officers we really need on our streets for effective protection. 22. Thompson, B. and Williams, A. The myth of moral panics: Sex, snuff and Satan. London: Routledge. P Read More