Be the leader
you want to see

FRONTLINE LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

The next move for leaders like you

The Police Now Frontline Leadership Programme is a one-year leadership development programme which prepares police officers with high potential for promotion to leadership roles. The programme is open to all eligible officers from our partner forces who are aiming to progress from constable to sergeant rank.

The programme consists of five in-person taught days, with online learning modules between each taught day designed to consolidate and implement your learning, with support from your dedicated Progression and Development Officer throughout.

The taught days are designed to progressively build your skillset to help you achieve promotion, improve your operational competence, and prepare you to become an outstanding policing leader of the future.

Programme Launch Taught Day 1

Taught Day 2

Taught Day 3

Taught Day 4

Graduation Taught Day 5

12 month programme

The programme is focused on developing your potential regardless of background or career route. It’s a programme for police officers who want to positively change the destiny of communities, leading from the front in ways that build trust and confidence in our police service.

It supports talented police officers from all backgrounds and pays particular attention to the barriers often faced by officers from underrepresented groups.

what you will gain from the programme

Structured support: You'll receive online learning and coaching sessions from your designated Progression and Development Officer.
National networks: As part of the Police Now family, you’ll have access to a national network that will serve you with help and advice across your entire career.
Cross sector approach: You'll get the opportunity to experience and learn from influential leaders from not just within policing, but across the public, private and third sectors.
Strong focus on underrepresentation: A particular focus on increasing representation of underrepresented groups within more senior ranks.
Flexiblity: The programme supports those who are yet to be promoted and those who are promoted whilst on the programme.
Tailored development modules: A menu of learning modules that provide you with a tailored development journey.

SINCE THE PROGRAMMES LAUNCH IN 2021, POLICE NOW ARE SUPPORTING OVER 600 CONSTABLES TOWARDS PROMOTION TO SERGEANT.

SUCCESS RATE AT IN-FORCE PROMOTION PROCESS

0 %

Programme learning modules

The programme covers three core areas:

Play

Navigating the promotion process

We equip you with the essential knowledge and understanding of how to navigate the promotion process.

You’ll work to understand your force-specific promotion process with support from your Police Now Progression and Development Officer. You’ll have opportunities to take part in skills practice sessions, coming away with the foundational knowledge you’ll need to be successful in the promotion process.

This includes a solid understanding of the National Policing Promotion Framework and the Competency & Values Framework, and how to practically structure and apply this.

Improving operational competence

We build on your existing operational experience with the knowledge and tools you’ll need to demonstrate the competencies needed for promotion. You’ll be supported by your Progression and Development Officer to actively seek out opportunities to fill any operational gaps that you identify through your skills and knowledge gap analysis.

The programme will embed important skills such as:

- – Building a growth mindset.
- – Reflective practice.
- – How to influence others.

You’ll have time to practise these skills and get targeted feedback to build your confidence and competence.

Preparing for leadership

We focus on developing a culture of leadership and innovation to tackle long-standing policing challenges in communities challenged by crime.

You’ll develop your own authentic leadership style, with practical takeaways to help you implement your learning from day one on the job and beyond. You’ll develop skills that will support you in utilising your network and leading change within your force and community.

The programme is designed to create a sense of insurgency and urgency. We’ll help inspire and renew your drive to continue your own development and progress to lead change in policing.

Programme timeline

Induction event

Dynamic and purposeful, the induction event will focus on creating a sense of urgency for development, delivered through an immersive and high-energy learning experience. Emphasising and reflecting on previous activities during the application process, this event will help the promotion process come-to-life.

Pre-Programme Learning

The first of five online learning modules. This should take you around an hour to complete.

It covers:

An introduction to Police Now and the Frontline Leadership Programme
Your promotion timeline
Understanding the Competency and Values Framework (CVF)
Your role as a leader
Participants can track their own development through the FLP workbook that will be used for all activities throughout the programme.

Taught day one

This is all about preparing you for your journey towards promotion and starting to explore your own leadership style.

During the day you will also learn skills around presenting and delivering briefings, culminating in a group presentation on a topic linked to the themes of the Frontline Leadership Programme.

By the end you will:

Build a network of contacts that you can develop in the future
Be aware of different leadership styles, which you prefer, and how you can utilise them.
Understand techniques that can help you progress through the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF).
Be able to plan, conduct, and evaluate a briefing or presentation.

Online learning: understanding yourself

This module is all about delving inside yourself to understand your motivations and values.

Once you have done this you can explore ways in which you can seamlessly interact with others, and techniques to manage conflicts with others.

Taught day two

This is all about discovering how you will operate as a leader and giving you a chance to practice the skills that you learned on Taught Day 1 for in preparation for your promotion process.

By the end you will:

Be able to assess threat, harm and risk factors.
Be aware of your behavioural style and how your behaviour can affect others.
Be aware of models for time and project management.
Have demonstrated your preparation for the police promotion framework in a mock interview.

Online learning: coaching & mentoring

You will learn to understand what it means to be a coach and mentor, what you can do to ensure that your staff feel supported and methods that you can use to help them through their own personal development.

This input will also include guidance on how to hold one-to-one meetings and performance reviews.

Taught day three

This will focus on putting together a skillset that will enable you to be an outstanding leader. The day is aimed at managing your team.

By the end you will:

Develop techniques for maintaining the wellbeing and resilience of you and your team members.
Understand how you can support people who are neurodivergent.
Understand your responsibilities for promoting diversity and inclusion.
Understand the importance of giving and receiving feedback.

Online learning: dealing with conflict

This module is all about identifying and resolving conflict, understanding when conflict may occur, and exploring the reasons why.

You will refresh your de-escalation techniques and skills for having difficult conversations with your team members.

Taught day four

You will be involved in Police Now’s large-scale, interactive, table-top exercise Operation Ducibus.

During the day you will work with your colleagues to take on the role of a sergeant and will undertake a series of tasks revolving around planning and implementing your response to unfolding events.

Operation Ducibus features a fully interactive audio/visual experience that will immerse you in the scenario and give you chance to develop your leadership and management skills.

By the end you will:

Understand the processes involved in leading the response to critical incidents.
Be able to rationalise your deployment of resources.
Demonstrate leadership during police investigations.
Be able to apply techniques for delivering briefings.

Online learning: community relations

This module explores some of the history of police community relations.

You will learn to evaluate and act on potential issues before they escalate and how to remain informed on community relations to be a better public servant.

Taught day five

This is all about planning for the future and how you can have a positive impact on policing culture when you are promoted.

By the end you will:

Have developed skills for leading cultural change.
Understand the importance of maintaining standards and professionalism as a sergeant.
Understand the importance of Evidence Based Policing.
Reflect on the course and what you have learned and achieved.
At the end of Taught Day 5 you will be presented with your certificate of completion for the Frontline Leadership Programme.
You will also find out more about how Police Now can continue to support you throughout your career and how you can continue to utilise the networks you have established during the programme.

In-force collaboration

We partner with police forces across England and Wales. Participating forces will select a senior sponsor who’s committed to the success of the Frontline Leadership Programme and will work with Police Now to enable you succeed on the programme. They’ll set the expectation in force that police officers taking part in the programme are expected to apply for promotion at the earliest opportunity.

PREPARE TO LEAD

Promotion brings greater responsibility and opportunity to lead change, for your team and for the communities you serve.

The Frontline Leadership Programme is designed specifically for police officers who want to positively change the destiny of communities, leading from the front in ways that build trust and confidence in our police service.

It will equip you to tackle current and future policing challenges with the highest level of policing practice and leadership capability.

You’ll be part of a culture of innovation, with a leadership mindset and approach that will serve you for your next promotion opportunity and allow you to succeed and thrive throughout your entire career.

The aims of the programme:

Improving public service outcomes: reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, increasing public confidence in policing through a radical improvement in frontline.
Significantly improve diversity and social mobility: encouraging, developing and supporting talented individuals from underrepresented groups to reach sergeant and inspector ranks.
Sustainable cultural change: creating a cadre of frontline leaders who take a modern and effective approach to leadership.

PREPARE TO LEAD

NAVIGATE PROMOTION WITH CONFIDENCE

The Frontline leadership Programme will give you the knowledge, skills and mindset you need to achieve promotion.

It builds on your existing experience to embed the leadership skills and foundational knowledge you’ll need to be successful in the promotion process. Our curriculum teams are made up of educationalists and policing professionals using best practice techniques that build operational confidence.

You will gain an understanding of how to navigate and succeed in your in-force promotion process with the support of your designated Progression and Development Officer. You will also be part of a national network of officers from forces across England and Wales, sharing knowledge, experiences, help and advice.

You’ll come away with a renewed drive and urgency to continue your own development and to confidently progress your career.

"I did not have much confidence when I first joined the FLP at all. I knew I had the potential to be a strong future leader, but I did not have the confidence. Since joining the FLP I have grown so much. The networking opportunity has really helped me develop and self-reflect on my own potential and capabilities."

Manpreet Thiara, Thames Valley Police

"If we have better representation across the sergeant ranks, that will increase public community. In turn, increase public safety and vitally important, increase public trust."

Police Sergeant, Mike Perry

Frontline Leadership Programme alumnus