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WALKING the TALENT TIGHTROPE: Becoming a ‘Top Cop’ in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)

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WALKING the TALENT TIGHTROPE: Becoming a ‘Top Cop’ in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) rei WALKING THE TALENT TIGHTROPE: Becoming a ‘Top Cop’ in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Tamsyn Heritage Professional Doctorate in Policing, Security and Community Safety Awarded by London Metropolitan University This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of ProfD 2018 Abstract Chief police officers represent a small cadre of individuals who have risen to occupy some of the most important and, arguably, testing roles within modern British public life, wielding a powerful influence over crime, security and safety in the UK. However, although there is now a significant body of research on policing, very little of it has focused on examining those who occupy the top ranks of the police service and the processes by which they are identified, selected, assessed and appointed. The purpose of this study is to consider what constitutes a ‘top cop’ within the modern Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and to review the key steps in the chief officer selection and appointment process. Based upon an extensive literature review and confidential interviews with a sample of chief officers in the MPS, the research examines the backgrounds, experience and leadership qualities of the MPS chief officer team. It also explores their views on the challenges of modern policing, on key policing debates, such as direct entry, and the ‘system’ and processes that got them to where they are. Building on the works of Reiner (1991), Wall (1998) and Caless (2011), it is intended that this research study will shed some new light on this elite, but relatively undocumented group, which will be of interest to academics and practitioners alike, and also encourage others to undertake further research in this field. The study concludes by highlighting some key aspects of the chief officer selection and appointment process that are worth revisiting and refining in the face of the growing leadership challenges that policing faces at the top of the service. Specifically, the thesis sets out five recommendations for wider consideration by the police Human Resources (HR) community. These include: • The need to establish a national talent management approach to support the appointment and ongoing development of chief officers; • Commissioning research to define the leadership skills and experience that are required at chief officer level; 1 • Introducing more robust evaluation and external validation into the chief officer selection and appointment process; • Reviewing and repositioning Direct Entry within the police service; • Reviewing the chief officer structure within the MPS 2 Acknowledgements I am grateful to a number of people who have helped and supported this research study. My sincere thanks are due to my academic supervisor, Professor Kevin Stenson, for sharing his expertise and providing me with invaluable guidance, support and feedback throughout the preparation and writing of this thesis. I would like to thank Dr Nick Ridley for his advice and encouragement throughout the course of my professional doctorate. I am also most grateful to Cathy Larne in the Research and Postgraduate Office for her unfailing patience and assistance. I am indebted to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), my employer, for their support. I must also thank each one of those chief officers at the MPS who spoke so candidly to me during the course of my research. Many of these colleagues gave up their own time to answer some very searching questions and demonstrated a continuing interest in the progress of this thesis. I would also like to mention the many personal assistants and staff officers, who proved so invaluable in helping me to book time with the various chief officers interviewed. Special thanks go to my family:- - My husband, Derek, for his ongoing belief in, and support for, this research; - My lovely children, Margaretta and Harry who, at 2 years old and 6 months old respectively, have kept me busy throughout the preparation of this thesis! - My parents, Sheila and Brian, who have both always found time to encourage, support and advise me, as well as to proof read my work! 3 Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................. 1 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 3 List of Figures ..................................................................................................... 7 List of Tables ...................................................................................................... 7 Glossary of Terms .............................................................................................. 8 Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................... 10 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 10 The Strategic Commanders .................................................................................................. 12 The quest for professionalism .............................................................................................. 14 The culture of management ................................................................................................. 16 A unique senior police personality ....................................................................................... 19 Qualified candidates............................................................................................................. 21 Research aims and objectives .............................................................................................. 22 Thesis structure .................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter Two: Methodology ............................................................................. 25 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 25 Research context and background ....................................................................................... 26 The author ............................................................................................................................ 27 The research ......................................................................................................................... 28 Researching the police ......................................................................................................... 32 The research group .............................................................................................................. 34 Research challenges ............................................................................................................. 36 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 39 Chapter Three: Leading for London ................................................................. 41 4 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 41 An overview of police leadership ......................................................................................... 42 Leadership in changing times ............................................................................................... 44 The Modernisation Agenda .................................................................................................. 49 The changing face of the MPS .............................................................................................. 51 Police leadership models ..................................................................................................... 57 Typologies of police leadership ............................................................................................ 60 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 62 Chapter Four: The ‘System’ .............................................................................. 64 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 64 The traditional model of police selection and progression ................................................. 65 Choosing candidates for SPNAC ........................................................................................... 67 SPNAC Assessment and the Strategic Command Course (SCC) ........................................... 69 Local appointments .............................................................................................................. 72 Strategies to identify police ‘high-fliers’ .............................................................................. 75 A question of patronage....................................................................................................... 77 Selecting the right leadership for the police service............................................................ 79 A new model of police selection and progression ............................................................... 81 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 89 Chapter Five: Unveiling
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