Graduation from International Strategic Leadership Course 2011

1. Valedictory Speech.
Graduation of International Strategic Leadership Course
2011.
Presented by DCP Austin Iwar - Nigeria Police Force.
I like to start by saying that competent and effective leadership, a
key element in the success of any organization, is especially critical
to modern police organizations.
I like to thank Kurt for his inspiring words and warning about the
changes going on in the world and the challenges it posits for
policing and police leadership all over the world.
I also like to thank the NPIA International Academy for recognizing
the importance of leadership in police organizations, and developing
this great program.
Bramshill has long been a vital element in the continuing
improvement of Police standards, skills, knowledge, and
cooperation in the UK and throughoutthe world. The ISLP and other
programmes provide a wide range of leadership and specialized
training, as well as an opportunity for police officers to share ideas,
techniques, principles and experiences. The ISLP is in a class of its
own. It has provided us with modern leadership skills and tools we
need to succeed. Bramshill is an experience.
The top-notch training and facilitators the Bramshill provides is a
level above the other police training programmes we have seen in
other parts of the world. It is the most comprehensive training I
have experienced and there is simply no comparison to the other
programs out there in any other police institution.
What we most admired about the facilitators and trainers was their
absolute expertise in the subjects they taught and the knowledge
passed on through personal job related experiences. We enjoyed
the hands-on training offered and acquired tools that we need to
assist us in various professional goals. We were exposed to

2. everything a modern police leader requires to function effectively.
That is the Bramshill experience.
One message that came through clearly in all of these relayed
experiences and for that matter in all the training, whether in
Scotland, Northumbria, Grampian or InterpolLyon, was that the job
of the police leader has changed in the last 10-20 years. The police
leader today has to be strategic, sharper and better trained to
handle the more complex requirements of our ever-dynamic
communities. These last three months have prepared us for that
task. This means we have learnt more skills, aptitude to succeed,
abilities and creativity to make a difference, to work and meet the
needs and assist in solving the problems that our countries face.
That is the Bramshill experience.
We don't pretend to think we've learned all we need to know. It
seems that the more you learn the more there is to learn. Society is
becoming increasingly complex and dynamic. So is policing, and the
response to numerous problems has to be dynamic, but creative.
And we’ve got to be ahead, as new challenges bring renewed
learning. It was Alvin Toffler who said, “Theilliterates of the21st
century will not be those who cannot read and write, but
those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn ”. Bramshill
enables us to learn, unlearn and relearn. That is the Bramshill
experience.
It was also ProphetMohammed whosaid, "Seek knowledgefrom
the cradle to the grave”. The challenges of today require us to
continuously seek knowledge. That is the Bramshill experience.
Policing is about people and we've spent the last three months
learning about people.
Let me summarize our training and put it in context: With this
training I can confidently say we have attained, acquired and are
now endowed with what Stephen Covey refers to as the four

3. imperatives of leadership – we now have the capacity to inspire
trust, the core of leadership. Covey says if you want to lead, you
must be trusted, to be trusted you must be trustworthy and
trustworthiness is born out of character and competence; we now
have the skills and competence to work with others to create a clear
and compelling purpose that is people focused; we now have the
skills to build our forces’ capacity to align systems, processes and
consistently achieve our goals; we are now leaders that have the
skills to tap and unleash the talents and potentials of our people
toward achieving our organizational goals. Yes we can, because that
is the Bramshill experience!
This graduation is therefore the culmination of a lot of hard work
and we're proud of our accomplishments. It opens a new chapter in
our careers. We feel professionalized and enthusiastic. Yesterday
we all talked about what we’ll do when we go back. We want to
change our Forces. Dreams you may say. But we have acquired the
necessary knowledge; understanding, skills, attitudes and behavior
that can make that dream a reality. That is the Bramshill experience.
But let me now say something about a rumor we head when we
came here. It’s about the future status of this wonderful place. For
many of us Bramshill is considered the most prestigious police-
training center all over the world. It is an institution and a tradition
in the mold of Sandhurst for the UK Army, FBI Academy Quantico
for the US police. Which is why we are at a loss that the UK
government will consider destroying a tradition that has existed for
more than fifty years. It is on record that most leaders this school
has produced have gone back to lead their Forces and even
countries. I understand that a former police officer who was a
student here some five years ago is now the Prime Minister of a
Eastern European country. The network this school provides goes
back to many years and will continue to flourish, because Bramshill
is not a place. It is like I said a tradition, a culture that exists in the
hearts, minds and practices of officers in UK, Nigeria, Namibia,
Bermuda, Canada, India, US, Ghana, Italy, France, Samoa,

4. Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Jordan, Israel, UAE, Oman, Saudis
Arabia etc. The list is endless. The level of country representation
tells us how important this place is to us.
We hope that this course will not be the last, as so many potential
police leaders are out there waiting to be part of the Bramshill
experience.
We want to thank you all for coming here to share this special
occasion with us.
We have a lot of people to thank. On behalf of the class I'd like to
thank Alison, Phil and Keith for their dedicated efforts in making the
class run smoothly. Their knowledge and instructional methods
were perfect. To Gina (Mama G) for ensuring that we never had any
problems while staying here.
The men and women of the NPIA represent the finest hopes and
aspirations of police training in any civil society. Thank you from the
bottom of my heart Kurt, Allison, Simon, ……and all the rest who
made our stay here very memorable.
And let me mention the immense contributions of: Gary Elliot, Roger
Gasper, Cameron-Waller, Dr. Tim Meaklim, Malcolm Ross, and ACC
Menzies and a host of other highly talented speakers and trainers.
I must not fail to mention David Glastonbury, Health and Fitness
coach who ensured that we were in perfect health and physically fit
throughout our stay here. Bill and his team in the kitchen. Patricia
and her library team who where always ready to come to our
assistance.
Finally I want to thank my fellow course participants, Martin, Mike,
Bruce, Fred, Nicky, Mohammed, Abdul, Ande, and Schalk who
collectively made our training experience the ultimate! These people
were the friendliest and most helpful group I've had the privilege to

5. train with. The level of maturity, mutual respect and level
headedness we maintained with one another even in the face of
insensitivities was amazing. Surely the police family is expanding. I
wish you all the best and I believe that very soon we will all meet
again to celebrate the appointment of one of us as Head of Police.
Thank you all and God bless.