Chief Superintendent

This profile has recently been reviewed and updated, including the CVF 2024 and core skills, and the new version can be found on College Learn by entering the Profile title in the search function.

Chief Superintendents lead multiple large and/or complex areas of command within forces and across collaborations, strategic alliances and partnerships, carrying responsibility for all activities in their area, often acting as part of the Chief Officer Team. They also carry responsibility for strategic and/or policy lead for one or more areas of policing across the force or organisation.

Chief Superintendents also play a critical lead role in operational policing for major or critical events or incidents; planning and directing the activities in line with the legal framework and wider policing policies/objectives to uphold the law and ensure public safety and strengthen public confidence. This role carries specific legal powers to enable the maintenance of law and order.

Chief superintendents lead the development of culture, climate and working processes across multiple areas of responsibility to ensure adherence to standards, and the promotion of accountability and continuous improvement.

• Lead the development and implementation of policy and strategy in own areas of responsibility, in line with force/organisational and national directives, and contribute to the development of force/national policy in order to ensure compliance with legal and operational requirements and ensure continuous service improvement and consistency of practice.
• Influence the force/organisation planning process by developing resource and budget plans for their areas of responsibility, in line with force priorities, in order to enable delivery of the force’s/organisation’s policing plan.
• Lead, motivate, engage, manage and develop a team of senior policing professionals and provide leadership across multiple areas of significant command/area of responsibility, protecting and promoting workforce wellbeing and professional standards to enable a high performing team.
• Lead responses to major events and serious/complex investigations, setting strategic/tactical objectives and priorities, assessing and managing threats/risks and directing the deployment of resources to ensure an appropriate and effective response in line with legal and force requirements.
• Fulfil the authorising responsibilities of superintending ranks and maintain operational oversight, holding accountability for compliant policing responses in order to achieve operational objectives and protect the public.
• Lead, manage and co-ordinate the allocation of appropriate resources across multiple areas of significant command/area of responsibility, in line with force/ organisational priorities in order to meet demand and maximise the efficient use of resources.
• Negotiate and control internal and external budgets within areas of responsibility and partnership arrangements, influencing budget allocation, in order to meet the force’s/organisation’s priorities and make financial savings where required to maximise value for money.
• Lead and manage performance across multiple areas of significant command/responsibility, setting appropriate standards and address areas of organisational underperformance in order to deliver on force/organisational objectives.
• Lead collaboration/strategic alliance across multiple areas of significant command, managing resources and capability within a complex collaboration arrangement with multiple stakeholders/partners and organisational constraints, in order to drive resource efficiencies and consistency of service delivery.
• Develop, manage and maintain strategic relationships with local and regional partners, effectively influencing and collaborating to enable the achievement of objectives for the force/area of command/responsibility to improve public safety and build trust and confidence in policing.
• Develop and own the strategy for the force’s/organisation’s response in respect of an incident or investigation to the media, wider public and external stakeholders and represent the force/organisation to provide information, improve visibility and build confidence in policing.
• Lead the assessment of future demands and emerging threats across multiple areas of significant command/area of responsibility, developing and adapting operational and workforce plans to ensure that these demands are effectively anticipated and met.
• Lead the design and implementation of significant organisational change projects or programmes across multiple areas of significant command/area of responsibility, in order to drive continuous improvement to public safety and best practice in service delivery.

Prior education and experience:

• Typically, a Chief Superintendent will have operational experience at Superintendent Level.
• Met all necessary local and national promotion criteria.

Policing Education and Qualification Framework (PEQF):

The educational requirement for the ranks above Police Constable has still to be confirmed. Should an educational requirement be agreed, the expectation is that it would be set at Level 7 for the rank of Chief Superintendent and above. Information will be made available in due course by the College of Policing. Any new requirements agreed with the Service will require development before implementation. Consequently existing promotion requirements will continue to apply for the foreseeable future.

Skills:

• Skilled in planning and objective setting to medium and long-term cycles, co-ordinating a complex range of activities and balancing competing needs.
• Able to make complex operational and business decisions, applying appropriate frameworks, models and risk management processes and anticipating the implications of decisions.
• Able to allocate resources appropriately across a diverse function and utilise commercial acumen to make risk-based decisions that deliver effective outcomes within the available budget.
• Able to apply or devise problem solving methodologies or specialised concepts and methods of analysis (or commission them from others), to clarify and/or solve multifaceted and complex problems.
• Able to identify relevant potential opportunities/threats and assess the impact of events and trends to inform internal planning.
• Skilled in developing and implementing problem solving methodologies and evidence based policy.
• Able to use a range of communication and influencing techniques and methods to successfully negotiate, collaborate and/or effect change.
• Skilled in engaging a diverse range of stakeholders and partners and enabling effective collaboration which draws upon a diverse range of skill sets.
• Able to lead, develop and motivate a diverse team; creating strong engagement with the function’s performance objectives and with Force values and behaviours.
• Able to hold themselves, individuals and the wider team to account for performance and behaviours.
• Skilled in coaching and mentoring to enable appropriate career and professional development.
• Able to drive cultural and operational change across a diverse team, creating a culture of innovation and creativity.
• Able to operate with political astuteness, able to understand how to most effectively challenge the status quo.

Chief Superintendents should reflect upon their existing knowledge, skills and experience to identify and plan their professional development alongside the following examples. Below are some suggested examples but are by no means exhaustive:

• Maintain knowledge and understanding of Police Regulations and College of Policing Guidance, best practice and any local policy applicable to the operational police context and leading and managing teams.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors and developments to support and inform a pro-active and preventative approach to policing.
• Maintain and update key knowledge, understanding and skills relating to legislation policy and practice across all functional policing areas of operational responsibility.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of new approaches to evidence based policing research and analysis synthesise these into working practice.
• Role model continuing professional development, coach and/or mentor colleagues, leading by example by sharing learning and reflections to support the professionalisation of the police service
• Maintain a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving crime threats and priorities; and current best practice to tackle these in order to enable a pro-active and preventative approach.
• Maintain commercial awareness and build financial acumen by working closely with partners and multi-agencies at a local and national level, wherever possible taking advantage of shadowing and/or secondment opportunities
• Complete all annual and mandatory training.
• Maintain knowledge and understanding of performance management process and ensure they are implemented effectively when managing teams.

Not applicable.

You may need to refer to more than one professional profile to find the full description of your role, for example a Detective Chief Superintendent, will be working to meet the accountabilities of the:

• Core Chief Superintendent profile
• Strategic Investigator (PIP4) or,
• Head of Crime

Please review the specialist profiles to identify any relevant additional profiles for your role.