Metropolitan Police Service - Commander

The Commander is directly responsible for leading and commanding the operational policing responses within their designated area of responsibility or specialism.

The Commander is responsible for reviewing and driving culture and performance within their designated area of responsibility or specialism in order to provide a professional, effective and efficient policing service in line with the direction and vision of the Metropolitan Police Service.

In collaboration with other Chief Officers, the Commander is responsible for setting standards, direction and culture for the MPS that builds public and organisational confidence and trust and enables the delivery of a professional, effective and efficient policing service.

The Commander contributes to the development of regional and national policing within a specific area of expertise and may be accountable for national operations or standard setting.

• Lead the implementation of the organisational and operational strategy for the MPS, in alignment with wider plans and objectives such as the Police and Crime Plan and Strategic Policing Requirement, in order to provide an effective and efficient policing service that meets current and future policing demands.
• Support Management Board to lead the MPS, embedding and role modelling the organisational culture, promoting values, ethics and high standards of professional conduct and improving employee engagement to enable a fair, effective and professional service.
• In collaboration with Chief Officers, to develop operational plans and ensure resources are in place to enable the effective implementation of the Service Delivery Plan within their area of responsibility or specialism.
• Responsible for leading major change projects to enhance productivity, value for money and enable continuous improvement of effective policing practice across the service.
• Lead, inspire, motivate and engage a team of senior policing professionals, promoting workforce wellbeing and inclusivity. Facilitating impactful professional development and performance management to create an empowered team that are representative of the public they serve and can effectively enable the achievement of the MPS objectives.
• Responsible for the delivery of MPS operational strategies and policing responses/investigations across their function, business area or specialism to ensure an efficient policing service which enables effective law enforcement and public protection.
• Identify, mitigate and manage serious threat, risk and harm within their own area of responsibility or specialism, assessing the potential for financial, community confidence and political impact across the whole of the MPS, where appropriate providing operational information to Management Board to ensure a cohesive, efficient organisational response to serious risks.
• As a Chief Officer, and as part of the on-call team, lead and command the operational policing response to particularly high risk, high-profile, pan-London and/or cross-organisational major events and serious investigations; setting strategic objectives and priorities, assessing and managing threat and risks and directing the deployment of resources to ensure an appropriate and effective response in line with legal and Service requirements.
• Effectively measure, evaluate and report on performance within own area of responsibility or specialism, utilising findings to drive improvements in service delivery.
• To be the MPS, regional or national lead on multiple portfolios, potentially unrelated to their area of responsibility or specialism, developing national thinking, driving procedural or policy change to enable the continuous improvement of effective policing practice.
• Represent the MPS, adhering to the principle of operational independence, and when required, to liaise with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to provide operational information in relation to their area of responsibility or professionalism to enable the Mayor to provide public assurance.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with local and regional partners, effectively influencing and collaborating to enable the achievement of objectives for their area of responsibility or specialism, to improve public safety and build trust and confidence in policing.
• Represent the MPS at a local, regional and national level to the public, media and other external stakeholders to support the Commissioner and Management Board to promote visibility, connect with the public and build confidence in policing.
• Effectively manage and encourage development, change and innovation, ensuring enhanced productivity, value for money and continuous improvement in evidence based policing.

Prior education and experience:

• Successful completion of the Police Leadership Programme: Stage 5 (Executive Leaders) or successfully completed the strategic command course prior to 2023.
• Authorising Officer Training.
• Wide ranging operational law enforcement experience.
• A demonstrable track record of successful experience of working at a strategic level, including the leadership of law enforcement officers and staff at senior leadership level.
• Experience of successfully engaging with and influencing multi-agency partnerships.
• Experience of embedding an effective performance management framework.
• Experience of implementing successful organisational development, change and innovation.
• Experience of management of significant budgets.
• Up to date operational/technical policing knowledge.
• Knowledge of developing legal, political, economic, social, technological, and environmental factors and an understanding of the implications for strategic planning.
• Knowledge of relevant local, regional and national policies, strategies and initiatives and an understanding of the implications within the policing context.

Skills:

• Able to manage substantial financial, people and material resources, demonstrating commercial acumen to balance complex, competing resource demands by making appropriate risk-based decisions within the available budget.
• Able to manage strategic organisational change that reshapes the services or functions delivered by the Service, to deliver appropriate responses to emerging trends and issues.
• Able to analyse a wide range of information to identify emerging trends and issues and use these to inform strategic planning.
• Able to operate with sound political astuteness, able to negotiate the internal and external political landscape effectively.
• Able to use a wide range of highly effective communication and influencing techniques and methods to successfully negotiate, collaborate and influence change at senior levels and across a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Skilled in building and maintaining stakeholder relationships, being able to resolve issues and to reconcile conflicts of interest.
• Skilled in leading, developing and inspiring people, engaging a diverse range of teams with strategic priorities, values and behaviours.
• Able to reflect on and hold themselves, individuals and the organisation to account for performance and behaviours.
• Able to identify, commission and implement new or improved technologies/services that have a transformational impact on Force service delivery and/or cost.

A senior leaders CPD Framework has been developed that identifies three important elements Chief Officers should consider when planning their CPD.

Chief Officers should reflect upon their existing knowledge, skills and experience to identify and plan their professional development alongside the following examples.  Below are some suggested examples but are by no means exhaustive:

Personal Skills

• Role model continuing professional development and lead by example by sharing learning and reflections to support the professionalisation of the police service.
• Maintain knowledge of strategic leadership and management theory and continually reflect on practical application in the operational policing context.
• Attend bi-annual National Chief Constable CPD events.
• Participate in coaching and/or mentoring opportunities for self and others to use and share the learning to inform own and others’ approach to leadership, management and policing.

Business Skills

• Maintain commercial awareness and build financial acumen by working closely with partners and multi-agencies at a local and national level.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of performance management processes, including data analysis methodologies and how performance can be benchmarked locally, regionally and nationally.
• Contribute to evidence based research by conducting research and analysis of operational policing issues to solve problems and support the professionalisation and transformation of policing.
• Build and participate in peer networks and action learning sets to enable approaches to joint problem solving, share learning locally, regionally and nationally to support business process modernisation, efficiency and continuity.

Professional Skills

• Maintain knowledge of College of Policing Guidance, best practice and national and local initiatives and policies applicable to the strategic policing context.
• Maintain and update key knowledge and understanding to effectively apply legislation, policy and practice across all functional policing areas of operational responsibility.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors and developments to inform strategic policing plans and enable an efficient and effective approach to policing and ensure the force is able to tackle new and evolving crime, threats and priorities.
• Work with national policing agencies and bodies, such as Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), National Crime Agency (NCA) and the College of Policing, and participate in and contribute to serious case reviews and Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigations to ensure the force meets and maintains professional standards.
• Complete all annual and mandatory training to retain occupational and operational accreditation.

Not applicable.

Post holders are also likely to take on an operational specialist role. Please see the appropriate Professional Profile.