This book adds to knowledge about chief police officers in England and Wales by exploring their understandings of the right of police to exercise power. Their beliefs, motivations, backgrounds, and cultures are examined. Light is cast on how they perceive power, coercion, control, policing purpose, gendered understandings, protecting people, vulnerability, policing by consent, discretion, operational independence, law and the oversight and political direction (or governance), and accountability of police. Chief officers used three legitimating narratives basedon:protecting peopleparticularly the most vulnerablepolicing by consent,and law and the oversight and political direction of police. Theseaccounts are assessed.Damaged processes of police governance that risk undermining police leadership and legitimacyare revealed. Critically, chief officers understandings of legitimacy arefound to be confused, conflicted, and, above all, convenient in supporting them in asserting a privileged position from which they can pursue their preferences for the use of power.