Encapsulating new policing developments under the Coalition, A Future for Policing in England and Wales examines the major reform proposals and reports brought in since May 2010, including the Winsor Report and the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, and analyses what these changes mean for the future of policing in England and Wales. In the 1990s and 2000s the Police Service in England and Wales underwent profound change which saw massive increases in resources accompanied by increased centralism, a more business-like approach, and the proliferation of national objectives, targets and strategic plans. The Coalition Government signalled a radical shift away from that political consensus towards fewer numbers, a significant reduction in resources, decentralisation, and the creation of locally elected crime commissioners. This book argues that, as a consequence of this, British society and politics are entering a difficult and complex future, featuring a return to some aspects the social tension and disorder which characterised the 1970s and 1980s, and that the Police Service is currently ill-structured to adapt to the changes. Drawing on the author's own experience as a chief constable and his continuing experience as a police historian and analyst of contemporary police affairs, A Future for Policing will be of interest to senior police officers and policing academics, as well as those involved in leadership and other personal development programmes. It will also be of interest to policymakers and historians.

"There is much to be gained from a close reading of Brain's book, not least a deeper understanding of the contours of recent developments in policing in recent decades. As a former chief constable with academic credentials, Brain writes with authority and insider status. The certainty that characterises many senior police officers is evident, balanced with academic rigour and good style. The book, I predict, will be valued as much as a history and analysis of the present as a forecast of possible futures." - Rob C. Mawby, The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice