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Incomplete
Sir Bernard - now Lord - Hogan-
Howe, the former Met Police
Commissioner, was the opening
speaker at the two-day BCI World
2017 conference on business
continuity on Tuesday, November 7.
Asked from the floor what
was the key personality
trait in a leader, he replied:
communication. He said that
was one of the things he always
looked for when he was looking
for leaders, giving the example of a
chief superintendent as a borough
commander. Hogan-Howe described
how he would put it to the applicant
that they were going to lead 1000
people; and he would ask the
applicant to say what he would say
to them, on the first morning. The
best, according to Hogan-Howe,
would be fairly short; and something
memorable enough to remember.
Hogan-Howe would also ask what
the applicant would say to a public
meeting that night; bearing in mind
that the borough would have had other
commanders lately. How would the
new commander explain what they
stood for? Hogan-Howe would look
for consistency; and again, it had
to be memorable, and short: “And
hopefully I agreed with it. For me, the
ability to communicate to your own
people and in my world to the public
and the stake-holders. Unless that is
in place, the other things don’t work,
because leadership is about influence.
If you don’t communicate, influence
fails.”
Litmus test
That insight into the work at the very
highest levels of UK policing came at
the end of an equally interesting hour
when Hogan-Howe was on stage,
introduced by the chairman of the
Business Continuity Institute (BCI),
James McAlister. While Hogan-Howe
began with a review of what the Met
does, he went on to offer advice with
a business continuity slant, drawing
on his time at the top of the Met.
A senior person has to challenge,
and know detail, and keep asking
questions, he suggested, that senior
person ‘as the litmus test for your
organisation’. He offered a ‘policespecific
idea’; the special constables,
the volunteers, unpaid, who do work
in uniform and as civilians for the
police. Is there any way, Hogan-Howe
asked the public sector in the audience
particularly, how you can encourage
volunteers to help you as a publicspirited
action? He wondered aloud if
retired colleagues could be included in
a list of helpers, who may be prepared
to help, if asked.
Terrorism
He turned to terrorism, encouraging
the audience to think whether their
organisation has any ‘tripwires’
whereby you can know when
terrorists are using your resources. He
gave the example of car hire, as used
in some vehicle-borne terror attacks.
What if someone was paying cash,
and not providing the details the hirer
would normally expect? If the car
hirer was worried, it would be helpful
for the police to hear. Likewise hotels
will notice unusual things. Lord
Hogan-Howe asked how could hotels
build ‘trigger mechanisms’ into the
organisation, to provide intelligence,
‘for all of us to be kept safe’. He
offered some ideas to take back to
workplaces to check. If someone takes
over your building, could the police
control your CCTV from outside? It
would be too late to find out when an
event has happened. What are your
contingency plans if your staff get
caught up in terrorism, he asked. As
Met Commissioner he had worked
with others outside the police, such
as from the fire and ambulance
service, and queried why you should
not get to know others, for example
over a breakfast briefing, to develop
relationships and trust, ‘that carries
you through the crisis’. He made the
case for attending such conferences
and just meeting people; advice that
he kept, as he stayed at the event after
his time as speaker. p
18 DECEMBER 2017 PROFESSIONAL SECURITY www.professionalsecurity.co.uk
p18 News 27-12.indd 1 19/11/2017 10:42