On Friday last week I turned up, in my smartest garb, to the
MET’s Empress State Building in West Brompton sit on an interview panel for
prospective police superintendents. I’d been invited to take part by Matt Bird,
CEO of the Cinnamon network; the MET are inviting community leaders to sit on
the panels with a view to specifically considering applicants adherence to MET
police values.
MET’s Empress State Building in West Brompton sit on an interview panel for
prospective police superintendents. I’d been invited to take part by Matt Bird,
CEO of the Cinnamon network; the MET are inviting community leaders to sit on
the panels with a view to specifically considering applicants adherence to MET
police values.
To be honest I didn’t know what to expect – the interview
process is fairly complex, particularly in the system used to evaluate the
performance and responses of each applicant; I felt ill-prepared and at risk of
being a liability rather than a help! With work pressures and this general
unease I considered withdrawing from the interviews in the run up to my day on
duty, but I stuck with it in the end, having given my word and trusting God
that he had opened up yet another way for me to make a difference! In fact, I
was told on the day, the drop out rate for community panel members is pretty
high, which really scuppers the MET’s planning for the day…
process is fairly complex, particularly in the system used to evaluate the
performance and responses of each applicant; I felt ill-prepared and at risk of
being a liability rather than a help! With work pressures and this general
unease I considered withdrawing from the interviews in the run up to my day on
duty, but I stuck with it in the end, having given my word and trusting God
that he had opened up yet another way for me to make a difference! In fact, I
was told on the day, the drop out rate for community panel members is pretty
high, which really scuppers the MET’s planning for the day…
As it turns out I needn’t have worried at all – my
contributions (I think & I was told) were helpful and it really was amazing
to have a say in evaluating people who could potentially carry great influence
in our city. Each candidate has to give
a presentation in a role play scenario (where each panel member adopts a
personal) and is then interviewed later in the day about their service to date
and their suitability for the post. It’s an appropriately gruelling filtering
process.
contributions (I think & I was told) were helpful and it really was amazing
to have a say in evaluating people who could potentially carry great influence
in our city. Each candidate has to give
a presentation in a role play scenario (where each panel member adopts a
personal) and is then interviewed later in the day about their service to date
and their suitability for the post. It’s an appropriately gruelling filtering
process.
Although the day was really interesting and a great
opportunity to be a pastor & Christian in a different public sphere, God
had one more blessing to open up for me: one of the senior police officers on
my first panel was swapped out (conflict of interests with regard to the first
candidate) for Kingston’s Borough Commander, Glenn Tunstall. Glenn is a great
guy, and very well regarded in Kingston; even better, he spoke about his visit
to Everyday Kingston in December last year when he popped into Safe & Sound
to see how it was working out. In a process which spans several days over a
number of weeks, and with multiple community volunteers and Senior officers
taking part, the chances of my getting to work alongside our own Borough
Commander were so slim as to be non-existent. God loves working those odds
though, and as usual my Father gave me yet another reason to make the most of every
opportunity he sends us to make a difference.
opportunity to be a pastor & Christian in a different public sphere, God
had one more blessing to open up for me: one of the senior police officers on
my first panel was swapped out (conflict of interests with regard to the first
candidate) for Kingston’s Borough Commander, Glenn Tunstall. Glenn is a great
guy, and very well regarded in Kingston; even better, he spoke about his visit
to Everyday Kingston in December last year when he popped into Safe & Sound
to see how it was working out. In a process which spans several days over a
number of weeks, and with multiple community volunteers and Senior officers
taking part, the chances of my getting to work alongside our own Borough
Commander were so slim as to be non-existent. God loves working those odds
though, and as usual my Father gave me yet another reason to make the most of every
opportunity he sends us to make a difference.
Ephesians
5:15 & 16
5:15 & 16
15 Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but
as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are
evil.
as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are
evil.