Helping a Superintendent become an Assistant Chief Constable

If the last couple of years have taught us anything, it’s that you should grab as many opportunities as possible that come your way – whether that’s in your work or personal life. With the former, the start of a new year often encourages people to review their career achievements to date, reflect on learnings and identify potential that can be unlocked.

Sometimes it’s about taking a leap of faith, which can be a daunting thing to do, and we can all relate to needing a confidence boost at some point in our careers. The Strategic Command Course isn’t something that every police officer or member of police staff aspires to, but if your ambitions are to become a chief officer then SPNAC or the police staff equivalent is the obstacle you need to overcome.

If you’re at a senior level and feel ready to take the next step up in your policing career, then find out more about how P2P has helped many senior officers and staff achieve their ultimate career goal.

We chatted with SCC 2021 graduate and P2P candidate Elliot Foskett about his policing journey and how he successfully passed the SCC course which has enabled him to apply for, and successfully attain, an ACC position in North Yorkshire Police.

How it started vs how it’s going

I’ve been a police officer for 24 years now, initially starting at Thames Valley Police in 1997, moving to Northamptonshire Police in 2006 where I was promoted to Detective Sergeant within a few months of joining. I’ve spent much of my career in investigative roles but also in contact management, corporate services and recently as the lead for Operation Talla – a national operation led by the NPCC to respond to lead the police response following the World Health Organisation’s 2020 announcement of the COVID-19 outbreak. I’ve had two secondments during my career, one to the National Crime Squad, now the National Crime Agency, and one to the College of Policing. I was promoted to Superintendent in 2016.

The P2P experience

A friend of mine first introduced me to P2P prior to me ever even considering undertaking SPNAC myself. I was aware that P2P was doing some work around development of all levels of staff to assist in building their confidence, along with some work with executive teams to help selection processes.

I decided to do some practice SPNAC sessions with P2P, which enabled me to experience what it would be like to do the real exercises. I simply had no experience whatsoever of what they would be like. I expected I would be put through my paces and would receive some useful feedback which would help and in turn that would give me confidence to have a go at the real thing.

The sessions were spot on, realistic and gave me a fantastic chance to have a go in a ‘safe’ environment. Each exercise was set up in a way that was completely authentic, and I really felt that I was going through it! I had the same nerves, doubts and worries but at the end, I had the opportunity to ask questions and listen to instant feedback from the totally credible associates.

I was given great tips and practical advice which I took with me going into the real thing which gave me far more confidence. As each exercise unfolded, I gave a bit of an inward smile knowing that I’d already had the opportunity to do this in practice.

Practice makes perfect

There’s no doubt that without going through the P2P exercises, I would have found this far, far harder. I attribute my success at SPNAC to the feedback, help and advice I got from the P2P associates. All of them took the time to fully explain points to me, helping me to consider how I could find strategies to improve. To be honest, some of the feedback was so useful to me personally, I have taken it on board in the way I lead and do business now, not just tackling the assessment.

There was a genuine desire on the part of P2P to get me to succeed; a feeling that they want to play a part in building leaders for the future.

Final thoughts

If you are thinking about preparation for SPNAC, I cannot recommend P2P highly enough. The team will put you through your paces, challenge you and help you find winning strategies. This was a personal investment in myself that was well worth making and has really paid off. If you are considering going through SPNAC, this is something you should absolutely do. You can succeed and P2P will really help you do that. I cannot wait to see what the future holds and will always feel I owe a massive chunk of my success to the professionals at P2P.

Learn more about how P2P can help you prepare for SCC 2022.