It was 10pm on a Saturday night as I sat with my colleagues listening to the sergeant brief us on the overnight crimes. We relished the buzz of the busiest night of the week as we rolled around with disorderly partygoers, comforted the victims of crime and sniffed out the villain. This is why you joined.
In stepped someone whose name I recognised but not his face. I should have guessed from his shiny trouser seat that he spent more time at his desk than on the beat. It was the chief superintendent.
He directed us to patrol the industrial estate where his golf partner had suffered a burglary. This woeful guest appearance, which was never repeated, left us dumbstruck. As you would expect, we ignored his every word.
There is nothing worse than a leader who is so detached from reality that their subordinates spend more time cringing with embarrassment than being fired up by inspiration. The boss sets the tone.
The chatter in the police canteens across Nottinghamshire will be full of snap judgments about their chief constable. Above all, the force will want to know how Ms Hodson has let them reach a position that does not happen overnight.
Advertisement
One of her defences might be that she and her senior officers have been unable to get on with the job properly because of the burden of servicing a performance scrutiny monster.
One chief constable recently explained to me that no sooner had one inspection finished than another started, leaving him no time to implement up to 35 improvement recommendations.
I doubt this explanation, or any other excuse, will wash with the police watchdog, the community or the force. The buck stops with the chief constable, whose leadership will permeate through the ranks. When things go awry it is normally due to a detachment from what is happening and a failure to give proper direction.