'An appropriate space': chief officers and police accountability

The views of 94 English and Welsh chief police officers were recorded in interviews between 2008 and 2010, covering oversight, accountability, and operational independence, and the impact this may have on policing. They discuss police authorities, the proposed police crime commissioner, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, and the Home Office both in terms of their own democratic accountability and the role of these bodies in monitoring the roles and actions of chief officers. Their views, representing both the current and future leadership of the police, offer an important insight into understanding contemporary policing and the relationship between police and oversight bodies in the UK.