Mediation and Accountable Policing

The concept of accountability in public services covers a range of democratic responsibilities and good governance, such as legal compliance, regulatory standards, transparency of decision-making and fiscal probity. The nature of policing, including the powers and privileges it endows upon its agents and the extent to which it impacts the lives, liberties and livelihoods of the communities in which it takes place, makes accountability for police more elemental than for other public bodies. Accountability is an essential, delineating feature of policing, the limits of which validate and license the police themselves. Sensitive and complex areas such as addressing misconduct, the position of the sworn officer and the constant tension between upholding the rights of citizens with proportionality, openness and restraint are all connected to the notion of policing accountability – and all lend themselves to mediation.