Decisions have consequences

Posted by Kate Betts on 14th March 2021

Every decision has consequences. And one of the consequences is how you appear to the outside world. The decisions made by senior managers and carried out by frontline staff will have an impact on how you are perceived and on your reputation, particularly when those frontline staff are so public.

So, decisions made about how to police the Clapham Common vigil were not (or should not) have been just about upholding the law, but also about how it looked to the outside world. Perception is so important when it comes to trust and trust is so important when it comes to policing.

Did anyone stop and think how the actions of frontline staff would look? Was there someone with communications/ PR/ reputation expertise in the room urging caution?

Sometimes you can be legally or technically right, but the damage caused to your reputation by your actions is not worth it. Yes, a few people may have caught Covid at Clapham Common, but a few million are now questioning the way the Met operate. 

Before any decision about public action, just pause and step outside of your organisation and think: how will this look? Not, are we (technically) right?