Structure without soul? A critical appraisal of the Police Leadership Commission report

23rd July 2026Dr Aksar Bashir, Force Contact Training Academy, West Midlands Police

The recently published Police Leadership Commission’s Professionalism and Performance report offers a blunt verdict that leadership development is inconsistent, talent is wasted, and something structural must change, says Dr Aksar Bashir, Manager of West Midlands Police Force Contact Training Academy, who argues that while the report is a significant examination of police leadership in England and Wales, it offers mainly structural and managerial solutions to what are cultural and relational problems.

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Structure without soul? A critical appraisal of the Police Leadership Commission report

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