Information about the role of a mounted unit commander, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A mounted unit commander is a public order position within the operational support sector of policing. It's a manager/expert adviser role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
Mounted unit commanders are deployed to spontaneous or pre-planned public order/public safety events to enable an effective policing response and act, where needed, in a mutual aid capacity.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Commanding and controlling mounted resources at operations and events to deploy resources appropriately for the conditions.
- Managing officers within the mounted resource under the gold commander’s strategy, the silver commander’s tactical plan and their bronze commander’s deployment plan.
- Leading, deploying and controlling a mounted unit as directed by their geographical or functional bronze commander and coordinating with other police support unit (PSU) commanders and/or specialist resources in support of wider strategic, tactical and deployment plans.
- Preparing for pre-planned deployments by undertaking reconnaissance to determine surface suitability for the mounted unit and to identify other geographical and environmental constraints on the unit’s activity.
- Ensuring that the mounted unit is sufficiently resourced, equipped, presented and able to carry out the tasks allocated and report any deficiencies to the respective bronze commander.
- Engaging in, and contributing to, the debriefing process, ensuring that the mounted unit are fully debriefed and provided post-operational support, to ensure information is effectively transmitted and to contribute to organisational learning.
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 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We take ownership – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We collaborate – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We support and inspire – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We analyse critically – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
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.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 3
- Problem solving – Level 3
- Performance management – Level 3
- Relationship management – Level 3
- Change management – Level 3
- Managing people – Level 3
- Managing resources – Level 3
- Planning – Level 3
- Use of IT – Level 3
Education, qualifications and experience
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Mounted standard equitation course (SEC) where appropriate.
- National mounted commanders course.
- Experience in working within gold commander’s strategy, silver commander’s tactical plan and bronze commander’s deployment plan.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
- Refer to requirements in G1 annex C1.3 in POPS Standards, Training, Equipment and Resources (you will need to log in to College Learn) as required by role.
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.
- Maintain accreditation as per G1 annex C1.3 in POPS Standards, Training, Equipment and Resources (you will need to log in to College Learn) as required by role.
- 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:
- undertaking an annual mounted public order refresher training package
- performing the role of a mounted commander at a public safety or public order event, at least once per annum
- keeping up to date with public order trends, learning and legislation changes through the public order national learning and development group, and other forums
- maintaining knowledge of crowd dynamics and crowd psychology based on current guidance and best practice
- maintaining an up to date understanding of College of Policing guidance, best practice and any local policy applicable to the operational police context
- maintaining and updating key knowledge, understanding and skills relating to legislation, policy and practice across all functional policing areas of operational policing
- maintaining knowledge and understanding of new approaches identified by evidence-based policing research and problem solving, test and synthesise these into working practice, championing innovation and changes to practice
- maintaining a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving crime threats, priorities and current best practice to tackle these in order to enable a pro-active and preventative approach
Related roles
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