Conventional understanding of power and authority are challenged in this bold new conceptualisation of police leadership. Drawing on empirical research in criminology, sociology and leadership studies, leading authors Claire Davis and Marisa Silvestri critically explore how leadership is constructed and experienced within wider organisational structures and processes. They provide an alternative and fresh interpretation of leadership as not simply the result of individual experiences and attitudes, but of social, institutional and historical processes. It is an essential text for policing students, academics interested in policing and valuable reading for current police leaders.