This week I had the privilege of interviewing Festus Akinbusoye, as S5E19 of my Police Promotion and Leadership Podcast. Festus kindly set some time aside and we met in London for an inspiring, insightful podcast chat, available free for my listeners within or interested in policing.
Festus is not only an outspoken public figure on topical policing issues, regularly featuring on Good Morning Britain and Sky News. He’s got a wealth of experience behind him, including experience as a Special Constable, policing on the frontline, as Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner (2021-2024), and as a successful businessman to name just a few. This gives him a unique yet informed perspective on policing and what the public want.
Listen in below for this full free episode. Read on for some highlights and key quotes which resonated with me…
Deep Dive on Key Policing Issues
“I think collectively as an institution, policing has lost its sense of what it exists to do… If you ask the vast majority of the public ‘what do you want from your police?’, they’re going to tell you ‘I just want you to catch criminals and make me feel safe’. The more you move away from that… the more you’re going to lose respect from the public.”
In this hour long conversation, Festus was generous and open in his responses to my questions on various topics. This is a fascinating, insightful interview covering a lot of ground and offers a unique perspective on policing. For example, Festus dives deep on:
- What the public want from policing
- How his Special Constable career aided his PCC role, and vice versa
- The Police Race Action Plan and his personal experiences of Stop & Search
- Mental health support for officers
- How politics and policing are interrelated, and always have been
- How leaders should stay in touch with front line issues
- Plus much more on policing and leadership
I asked him what led him to wanting to be the PCC for Bedfordshire Police, and how insights he had gained as a Special helped him in his role as PCC. His responses are very interesting, including the dynamic between Chief Officers and PCCs.
Festus is clear on the importance of senior leaders staying connected with the front line. He suggests an important way of doing this is performing operational duties for direct, first-hand experience of the issues and challenges. Otherwise this gets watered down by the time the briefings and reports come through meetings.
“The best and most respected police leaders that I saw were those that… the frontline officers think ‘you know what, if I have to go on a raid, if Sir or Ma’am wants to come with me, I’ll be very happy.’… If your frontline officers don’t have that kind of confidence in you, what’s your point?”
“If I was a Chief Constable, I would want a system whereby anyone going for promotion, I want them to demonstrate: When was the last time you went on a foot patrol with any team? When was the last time you wrote a report? When was the last time you did any of the front line basics that any officer in my force has to deal with?”
On non-crime hate incidents, Festus doesn’t pull his punches. “I think it needs to be banned tomorrow, if not yesterday.”
This FREE podcast episode is part of the inspiring police leadership series, interviewing senior figures in policing. While of particular interest for aspiring promotion candidates, it will no doubt also appeal to those outside of policing, including perhaps individuals who would like to join policing and choose to listen in for bespoke insights and perspectives into a career in policing.
This is a jam packed and powerful conversation in which Festus shares his no-nonsense views and experiences gained on a range of policing topics. He covers stop and search, police leadership, mental health in policing and to initiatives he supported when he was PCC, the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP), public trust, crime prevention and much more.
Optimistic Changemaker
I also ask Festus about his description of himself as an “optimistic changemaker” and finally as with all my guests, I ask if he could go back in time and speak to himself as a young man, what advice would he offer himself? Listen in to find out that top tip.
On a personal note, I found Festus to be an inspiring person, I woke up the next morning and there he was again on the news advocating positively for policing! Festus’s positivity, energy and attitude are infectious and I left our meeting enthused and convinced he has a wider contribution to offer as an inspirational experienced leader, whether in politics or elsewhere.
I’d like to thank Festus Akinbusoye once again for the time he puts to this interview and extent of responses given. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did conducting it.
Please feel free to get in touch if you’d like to join the conversation and share your views on policing and leadership. As always, ait’s an open opportunity and I’m happy to share my platform for a diverse range of views.
A bit about me: I’m a former Royal Marine and Detective Inspector. I started Rank Success to help level the playing field when it comes to police promotion success. Having supported countless candidates to nail promotions, I understand the catalyst for effective preparation for promotion opportunities, is often simply a supportive conversation. Of course if you want to just hit the ground running, the option exists to download your personal promotion toolkit to supercharge your prep.
Kind Redards, Steve
Seeking police promotion? Want a MASSIVE head start right now? Hit the ground running with your personal digital promotion toolkit, and/or my market-leading Police Promotion Masterclass and CVF explainers. There’s nothing else like it to effectively prepare you for success in your leadership aspirations. You can also contact me to arrange more personal coaching support. Or try my podcast for your ongoing police leadership CPD covering a range of fascinating subjects.
