Metropolitan Police Service

In 2023, faced with significant issues with leadership including inadequate management, a lack of oversight on the needs and skills of the organisation and a culture in need of reform, the Metropolitan Police Service produced a plan: ‘A New Met for London.’

Focused on policing culture, transparency and community engagement, A New Met for London provided a vision for leadership reform and the Met Leadership Academy initiative was born, underpinned by a commitment to providing leadership development for all leaders. This would consist of five days of mandated in-person training for every leader, at every level, every year.

Developing the Leadership Academy programmes required a whole organisational approach. A dedicated team within L&D was created and, to ensure the new programmes were of the highest possible standard, external partners were brought in to help shape and scrutinise curriculum design and build. 

It was decided that accessible face-to-face training was imperative at such a challenging time, and that the training would be peer led, supported by external trainers with external expertise. This learning time would be mandated and protected, and utilise the very best in subject matter expertise to deliver experiential days, workshops, coaching and masterclasses. The cornerstone of the new training was the creation of a universal leadership learning curriculum delivered through three pathways: the First Line Leaders Programme, Mid-Level Leaders Programme and Senior Leaders Programme.

The first two programmes were delivered to 99 per cent of the target groups respectively, and the latter 100 per cent, figures “unprecedented within the Met” and praised as “particularly noteworthy” by the PMAs judges. 

In terms of measuring the courses’ impact, the Met has taken a new iterative design approach to ensure training content is refined in response to participant feedback and emerging needs. This adaptability has been commended by HMICFRS and the College of Policing for its measurable impact and responsiveness, and the PMAs judges said it “demonstrates a robust and continuously improving model”.

“A clear golden thread runs throughout all materials, with effective tailoring to ensure relevance and applicability across different organisational levels and learner groups,” they said, adding that the initiative “represents a standout entry, demonstrating exceptional scale, complexity and scope in its learning delivery”.