91

To what extent are quantitative tools and performance indicators changing police governance? Based on an investigation conducted within the Paris Préfecture de police and London’s Metropolitan Police Service, this article examines the effects of New Public Management techniques on two aspects of police work: organizational relationships (the capacity of managers to exert control over operational activities vs. increased autonomy) and the nature of the police mandate (a focus simply on fighting crime vs. a broader approach). In sum, these techniques principally revive bureaucratic forms of control—albeit updated by new technology and managerial techniques of a certain sophistication—and lead to a relative rise in tensions within the organization. However, the management styles and types of performance indicators used differ: in both police forces, acclimatizing to New Public Management involves reinventing the traditional models in place.