Strategic planning practices in policing: evidence from the field

PurposeThis study aims to provide information concerning practices for creating strategic plans in municipal policing organizations and their use in practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study surveyed a sample of Canadian police services, including four of the ten largest services in Canada, to investigate their planning practices and the study’s findings to the results of a content analysis of strategic plans reported by Rogers et al. (2020). This study did not conduct content analysis and therefore relied on the findings of Rogers et al. (2020).FindingsSome respondents indicated they do not apply some practices generally considered advisable. Other respondents indicated they undertake a practice even though doing so is not evident from a review of the associated strategic plans.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based entirely on self-reported survey data. The study did not interview respondents to find out why they responded as they did.Practical implicationsThis study points to specific improvements municipal policing organizations could adopt which offer the prospect of creating better strategic plans and better strategic planning outcomes.Social implicationsPolicing organizations are important institutions in society. As a regular part of their activities, they interact with a broad cross-section of the society within which they operate. This paper presents ideas concerning how policing organizations can improve how they adapt themselves to their social environment to improve those interactions.Originality/valueNo other study collects self-reported data on how police services conduct strategic planning and use strategic plans at this level of detail.