ABSTRACT
Innovations and change do not just happen. Central government plays a crucial role in determining a climate and hence the direction and pace of change, and it also acts more directly in helping to market specific innovations. This chapter looks at the formal machinery that is available to central government for influencing change and how it has been used in relation to some of the innovations described in this book. It outlines recent developments in how government has chosen to operate that machinery with a view to creating an environment which is receptive to change, and to a lesser but none the less important extent, to influencing operational priorities. The chapter discusses the role of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Constabulary as arbiters of what is to count as efficient policing, as expert professional advisers and as ambassadors for government policies.
