NCJ Number
198250
Editor(s)
Lawrence Singer
Date Published
2001
Length
105 pages
Annotation
Exploring flexible working practices within the police services in the United Kingdom is the focus of this report.
Abstract
Suggesting the need to explore flexible working practices in the police services, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Equality sub-committee raised concerns that are addressed by this research report. Indicating that women police officers are still more likely than male officers to resign despite the introduction of part-time work and job sharing policies, the authors conducted a telephone survey between September and November 1999 of 43 police forces in England and Wales in order to establish the benefits of flexible working practices and barriers to their use. Following the telephone survey, a case study approach was utilized in order to examine how working patterns and accepted practices related to force policies and the opinions of headquarters staff about flexible working within the police force. Through the use of the telephone survey, the case study approach, and focus groups with middle managers in the service, the authors found that while flexible working practices typically included annual hours, flextime, term-time working, home-working, job sharing, and part-time working, within the police force in the United Kingdom, the main options for flexible working practices included were part-time work and job sharing. Furthermore, this report indicates that part-time police staff are found in a wide variety of roles, working a great variety of patterns on basic command units. Focusing on the benefits of flexible working, the authors found that while some line and senior managers displayed negative attitudes towards flexible working, most force central contacts in human resources and equality roles thought that the benefits were clear. Addressing barriers to flexible working, survey respondents indicated great concerns about management fairness and consistency between full-time and part-time workers, and some police force members interviewed indicated that while they did not want to work part-time, they wanted more control over their hours in order to meet child care responsibilities. The authors indicate that the barriers to flexible working within the United Kingdom’s police force are not insurmountable and that improved resource management is likely to improve the flexibility of work within police services. Tables, figures, references, and appendices