This paper presents a new framework for better understanding the mechanics of police oversight reforms. It outlines a case study of New Zealand police oversight organisation reform and a comparative analysis with four other jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and New York. Together these cases allow us to trace the path of police watchdog reform and demonstrate that it is not simply a series of cycles, or preordained set of management challenges. Instead it is a more complex, staggered process of reactive and proactive reform that includes reform cycles, watchdog-initiated growth, justice sector reform and the ripple effect. The paper draws upon and extends two theoretical approaches - Organisational Life Cycle theory [1, 2] and Police Complaints Reform Cycle frameworks [3] - to develop this new model of police oversight organisation reform mechanisms. Further, the paper proposes that deficits in watchdog transparency impede accountability, in turn stifling the public awareness needed for reform mechanisms to function and stunting the growth of an oversight organisation’s funding and powers.

本文提出了一个新的框架，可以更好地理解警察监督改革的机制。它概述了新西兰警察监督组织改革的案例研究，并与其他四个辖区进行了比较分析：英格兰和威尔士，苏格兰，北爱尔兰和纽约。这些案例一起使我们能够追踪警察监督改革的路径，并证明这不仅仅是一系列周期或预定的管理挑战。相反，它是一个更为复杂，交错的被动和主动改革过程，包括改革周期，监管机构启动的增长，司法部门改革和连锁反应。本文借鉴并扩展了两种理论方法-组织生命周期理论[1，2]和警察投诉改革周期框架[3]-开发这种新的警察监督组织改革机制模型。此外，该论文提出，监督机构透明度的缺陷会妨碍问责制，进而扼杀改革机制运行所需的公众意识，并阻碍监督组织的资金和权力的增长。