Police Leadership: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Police are required to understand and effectively operate in a complex social, political, and organizational environment. There is increased demand for accountability from and within policing; advancements in technology, emergence of new crime types, austerity measures, and a plethora of additional challenges. So how does an organization operate in such conditions? One answer lies in leadership. Leadership is one of the most important predictors of whether organizations are able to effectively function in dynamic environments and as such the need for effective police leadership is greater than ever. But what do we know about police leadership? What are the characteristics of police leaders and what activities do they undertake? In answering these questions we undertook a systematic review of the research literature pertaining to police leadership and present the findings in this article.