The article notes that workforce modernization, if implemented, could fundamentally alter the policing landscape in England and Wales. The article suggests that bureaucratic growth within police forces can be matched to a decline in effective command and control of police services. Lengthened chains of command and narrower spans of control were said to have, within larger police forces, diluted the supervisory capacity and effectiveness of police managers. It was argued that this reinforced the need for smaller, more manageable units of policing. This work was done to consider the application and potential impact of workforce modernization in England and Wales, and highlighted some problems surrounding current police hierarchies and specialization particularly in relation to the decline in visible policing. Highlighted also was a central theme identified within Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC’s) “Thematic Report on Modernizing the Police Service 2004,” the creation of a career pathway for all police personnel and, long term, the ability to move between warranted and nonwarranted police posts. It also drew on data from one workforce modernization pilot site, Bexley Operational Command Unit, particularly in relation to the successful use of police staff ‘Investigative Support Officers’ in processing low-level cases. Evidence from the Bexley site indicates that workforce modernization strategy provides the opportunity to improve both overall police effectiveness and the relationship between the police and the community. References