Information about the role of a deputy assistant commissioner, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A deputy assistant commissioner is a Metropolitan Police Service core position within policing. It's a force leader role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The deputy assistant commissioner (DAC) supports the Metropolitan Police Service management board to lead the service. In collaboration with other DACs, they are responsible for the implementation and delivery of the service delivery plan.
They are also responsible for the running of the MPS in line with the agreed direction and vision to provide a professional, effective and efficient policing service. Collaborating with other DACs, they assist management board in setting a vision, direction and culture for the MPS. This builds public confidence and trust and enables the delivery of an effective policing service.
The DAC is responsible for reviewing and driving culture and performance within their function, business area or across multiple business units. They are also responsible for this across the MPS, in collaboration with other DACs, to provide a professional and effective policing service.
They are responsible for leading major change programmes in the capacity of senior responsible owner to:
- enhance productivity
- give value for money
- enable continuous improvement of effective policing practice across the MPS
The deputy assistant commissioner contributes to the development of regional and national policing within a specific area of expertise. They may be accountable for national operations or standard setting.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Supporting the implementation of the organisational strategy. Setting the operational strategy for own function or area of responsibility, with regard to wider plans and objectives such as the Police and Crime Plan for London 2022 to 2025 and Strategic Policing Requirement 2023 to provide an effective and efficient policing service that meets current and future policing demands.
- Representing the service, adhering to the principle of operational independence. Liaising with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to provide operational information to enable the Mayor to provide public assurance.
- Supporting 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.
- Developing operational plans in collaboration with chief officers, ensuring resources are in place to enable the effective implementation of the service delivery plan.
- Leading the implementation of the service delivery plan within own function or area of responsibility. Ensuring that performance is monitored and evaluated with findings utilised to drive improvements in service delivery and the achievement of service objectives.
- Leading, inspiring, motivating and engaging a team of senior policing professionals, promoting workforce wellbeing and inclusivity. Facilitating impactful professional development and performance management to create an empowered team that is representative of the public they serve and can effectively enable the achievement of the MPS vision and goals.
- Being responsible for the delivery of service operational strategies and policing responses and investigations across own function or area of responsibility and in collaboration with other DACs across the service to ensure an efficient policing service which enables effective law enforcement and public protection.
- Developing guidance and providing strategic direction on identifying, mitigating and managing serious threat, risk and harm. Assessing the potential for financial, community confidence and political impact across the whole MPS to protect the public and develop operational strategies.
- Where appropriate, providing operational information to management board to ensure a cohesive, efficient organisational response to the highest, most complex or novel risks and highest threats to the service.
- As a chief officer and as part of the on-call team, leading and commanding 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. Directing the deployment of resources to ensure an appropriate and effective response in line with legal and service requirements.
- Developing and maintaining a meaningful operational performance framework and governance structure, in line with organisational strategy. Holding the senior leadership of the organisation to account for operational delivery and outcomes to enable effective law enforcement and public protection.
- Supporting the financial management of the service in collaboration with other DACs. Driving efficiency and productivity within the budget framework to maximise the use of resources, ensuring the effective use of public funds and maximising value for money.
- Acting as service, regional or national lead on multiple portfolios, potentially unrelated to own function or area of responsibility. Developing national thinking, driving procedural or policy change to enable the continuous improvement of effective policing practice.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 3: senior manager or executive
- We take ownership – Level 3: senior manager or executive
- We collaborate – Level 3: senior manager or executive
- We support and inspire – Level 3: senior manager or executive
- We analyse critically – Level 3: senior manager or executive
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 3: senior manager or executive
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
Education, qualifications and experience
- Successful completion of the College of Policing's executive leaders programme (ELP) or successfully completed the senior police national assessment centre (senior PNAC) and the strategic command course prior to 2023.
- Successful completion of the A7 authorising officer’s course.
- 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 a 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 and technical policing knowledge.
- Knowledge of developing legal, 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
This role requires the following skills:
- developing ambitious strategy and policy, aligned to operational realities
- creating operational plans which balance complex and conflicting resource demands and enable the achievement of strategic goals
- managing substantial financial, people and material resources, demonstrating high levels of commercial acumen to balance complex, competing demands on resources by making appropriate risk-based decisions within the available budget
- driving strategic organisational change that reshapes the services or functions delivered by the service, to deliver appropriate responses to emerging trends and issues
- scanning the internal and external horizon, identifying emerging trends and issues and using these to inform strategic planning
- operating with high levels of political astuteness, skilled in negotiating the internal and external political landscape effectively
- using 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
- maintaining an effective critical advisor role to more senior positions
- building and maintaining productive stakeholder relationships at senior levels to resolve issues and reconcile conflicts of interest
- leading, developing and inspiring people, engaging the organisation with service strategic priorities, values and behaviours
- reflecting on and holding themselves, individuals and the organisation to account for performance and behaviours
- identifying, commissioning and implementing new or improved technologies/services that have a transformational impact on force service delivery and/or cost
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR)conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all annual and mandatory training to retain occupational and operational accreditation.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- role modelling continuing professional development and leading by example by sharing learning and reflections to support the professionalisation of the police service
- maintaining knowledge of strategic leadership and management theory and continually reflecting on practical application in the operational policing context
- attending bi-annual national chief constable CPD events.
- participating 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
- maintaining commercial awareness and building financial acumen by working closely with partners and multi-agencies at a local and national level
- maintaining knowledge and understanding of performance management processes, including data analysis methodologies and how performance can be benchmarked locally, regionally and nationally
- contributing to evidence-based research by conducting research and analysis of operational policing issues to solve problems and support the professionalisation and transformation of policing
- building and participating in peer networks and action learning sets to enable approaches to joint problem solving. Sharing learning locally, regionally and nationally to support business process modernisation, efficiency and continuity.
- maintaining knowledge of College guidance, best practice and national and local initiatives and policies applicable to the strategic policing context
- maintaining and updating key knowledge and understanding to effectively apply legislation, policy and practice across all functional policing areas of operational responsibility
- maintaining 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
- ensuring the force is able to tackle new and evolving crime, threats and priorities
- working with national policing agencies and bodies, such as His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), National Crime Agency (NCA) and the College of Policing
- participating in and contributing to serious case reviews and Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigations to ensure the force meets and maintains professional standards
- completing all annual and mandatory professional development
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