3 Leadership in a policing context

This activity requires you to watch and reflect on the following video, in which Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Constable Michael Allen talks about his experience of leadership in a policing context. In the video, he focuses on the following areas:

• What is leadership in a policing context?
• How does this differ from leadership in other contexts?
• What do good police leaders do?
• What do bad police leaders do?
• How can people step up into leadership?

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1

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Transcript: Video 1 Constable Michael Allen talks about his experience of leadership

MICHAEL ALLEN:

As a police constable, we are the first people to be a leader. We are trusted by our community to do the best we can to help the community. And I suppose that's where it comes from. We work with the community. We are trusted to work. And we need to take ownership of an investigation and ownership on advice, both inside with our peers or colleagues but also with the community that we work with.

As a constable, I don't really have a rank. I am just- I am a person who has been entrusted to help people, help the community, and help to do the best that I can. As a constable, to be a leader, I can motivate my colleagues that I work with. If I go to a community meeting, I can motivate the community to help themselves regardless if they are an elected member of a local council. But it's about communities being able to help themselves and to give people that, I suppose, support and empowerment to help themselves.

I think there's a fear. I think one of the barriers is the fear of getting something wrong. It's OK to get something wrong. It's learning from the mistake. So there's definitely that fear. There's definitely that, have I got the ability to do it? Am I a strong enough person to do that, that sort of self-doubt. And I suppose that leads into confidence to actually step up and to use the initiative, to take that, if you want, that calculated risk. And to actually do something.

The most valuable leadership lesson for me is to be open and honest, particularly around decision-making. As I said previously, I'm a constable and human being. And it's acknowledging that at times we can get things wrong.

But it's being able to learn from any mistakes that we have, being able to step up and say, I bet I could do that a different way. I maybe done that wrong this time, and acknowledging that, but also showing respect for the people that you're working with, that you work for, and within the community, within policing- I suppose having someone who will respect you, allowing you to do what you can do, being able to, I suppose, take a calculated risk to say, I can make a difference, and have the ability and the confidence to do that.

Advice I would give about stepping up is, do it. Take the opportunity. Take the chance. Ask the right questions. Ask for help if you need it. Take ownership of an idea, of an initiative. Feel free to use your initiative. Ask for the support. Ask for help if you need it. And just try to do what you can. Do the best that you can, knowing that it can make a difference.

End transcript: Video 1 Constable Michael Allen talks about his experience of leadership

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Video 1 Constable Michael Allen talks about his experience of leadership

After you have watched the video, take some time to reflect on the points made by Constable Allen. As you do so, consider the following questions:

• Does Constable Allen’s experience of leadership in policing match yours or would you view things quite differently?
• If you’re viewing this clip from a policing point of view, what leadership qualities do you admire in a police or police-staff leader?
• Alternatively, if you’re viewing it from a community point of view, what leadership qualities do you admire in a police or police-staff leader? What could be improved?

Make notes of your observations in the box below.