Does Increasing Ethnic Representativeness Reduce Police Misconduct? Evidence from Police Reform in England and Wales

Abstract

This study examines whether representative bureaucracy improves organizational integrity. The evidence is from English and Welsh police forces that implemented ambitious targets to increase ethnic minority officers during the 1999-2010 period. Specifically, we present evidence of an association between an increase in police force ethnic minority representation and a subsequent reduction in police misconduct. An increase in representativeness is also shown to be associated with a decrease in the share of black complainants but not with a change in the ethnicity of those subject to complaints. This evidence suggests that diversifying a bureaucratic workforce to reflect the community it serves may effectively catalyze bureaucratic integrity. In turn, improved organizational integrity influences bureaucrats’ attitudes and behaviors towards minority citizens, resulting in greater satisfaction among the minority constituents. Representative bureaucracy may be an effective internal means of controlling administrative power for the good of the citizenry.