Re-orienting the Malta Police Force towards community policing : a study of change management

Abstract

Police responsibilities and the way in which they are carried out are always affected by a country's political, social and economic circumstances. Changes in any of these areas are bound to alter the general framework within which police work is carried out. The Malta Police Force (MPF) is not immune to such changes and as such it needs to react to them. This was the reason behind the Modernisation Programme initiated in 1996 with the aim of increasing the MPF 's effectiveness in the fight against crime and to introduce the concept of community-based policing. This study is going to study the change process in the Malta Police Force by analysing Change Management Programme that was initiated in 1996. This study is going to delve into the issues that influenced change in the Malta Police Force and the context within which it was implemented. Additionally, this study will also be looking at the recommendations of the Modernisation Programme that were implemented and those that were not. Furthermore, this research will show that although many are of the opinion that the Change Management Programme failed to bring the much needed changes, if one takes a closer look it will become evident that although at a very slow pace, some of the recommendations set out then are being realised, especially with the introduction of the new Police Act. This new Law sets out the mission and responsibilities of the Force together with the limitations set upon it so as to make it more accountable. The need for this study emerged from the importance that is attached to change in every organisation. The MPF learned that it too must implement major changes in its structure, focus, use of people and service offered in order to remain effective. However, implementing change is not an easy task and this is made more difficult when the concerns of people within the organisation and of the different stakeholders to whom an organisation is accountable come into play. When a major change is being introduced, a new order is being installed. For the typical change manager, this might seem to be the end of the struggle. Yet, in reality, the fight is just beginning, for the road from the introduction of the new order to the realisation of the intended results is a long and hard one. Detours are common, and quite a large number of initiatives end up in failure, yet one must not give up, as transformation requires sacrifice, dedication and great vision. The reason for choosing the 1996 Modernisation Programme as a case study and the basis for this research is because it represents the most recent organised effort to implement change in the Malta Police Force, therefore it is still a current and topical issue. However, in choosing this subject the author experienced certain limitations, namely, due to the high sensitivity of the subject and because the Malta Police Force is a closed organisation, and due to the lack of existing literature on change management programmes in police organisations.