If the job of PSNI chief constable is challenging, the job of interim chief constable is near impossible.
While a permanent appointment can pursue a direction of travel for the organisation over the next few years, a temporary post-holder has the disadvantage of not knowing how long they will be there.
So now that Jon Boutcher has taken up the interim post, what does he do? He has a choice of doing something or doing nothing.
Doing nothing means carrying out routine administrative work, a process which requires no leadership ability and which effectively puts the organisation into cold storage.
Doing something is more difficult, because it involves making decisions, particularly about implementing the organisation’s strategic direction prior to the new chief constable’s appointment. The difficulty for Mr Boutcher is that even if he wants to do that, it would be hard for a good detective to find a PSNI strategy.
In an unusual practice, the Policing Board has a strategy for itself. It makes some reference to monitoring the work of the PSNI, but does not offer an overall strategic direction for policing.
Mr Boutcher deserves a board which has a better understanding of what a board should do. Its response to the PSNI’s recent crises has been reactive rather than proactive.
The board has staggered from one embarrassment to the next, dipping in and out of operational matters in a manner which obscures the division of responsibility between governance and management.
Jon Boutcher has a fine record as a senior police officer and his report is eagerly awaited on the role of Stakeknife here. He has got off to a good start in his new job by offering support to the PSNI rank and file.
To make a success of his limited time in office he needs their support in return. He also needs the backing of the Policing Board, which might also make a good start by recognising that asking Mr Boutcher to do nothing is not an option.
To illustrate this they must do what all boards are meant to do, by drawing up a strategic plan for the PSNI. It must explain what the PSNI intends to do over the next three years, based on measurable objectives, so that the success or otherwise of the plan can be accurately evaluated.
Mr Boutcher can then begin to implement that plan and his permanent successor can take over from where he leaves off. Seamless succession is a key to good management.
His record in policing already proves he is a good manager. The Policing Board must recognise that by doing their job and not trying to do his.
