Call this leadership?

THE conduct of Deputy Commissioner Sir Craig Mackey during the Westminster terrorist attack raises a wider concern.

Top managers across our public services unashamedly distance themselves from the front line. They see their role as behind desks looking at computer screens or engaging in meetings far away from customers.

The overriding priority is, in Sir Craig’s words to the Westminster inquest, ‘putting everything we need in place’.

So positioned, so motivated, is it any wonder that individuals on the front line are seen as expendable ‘resources’ — the sort of thing that a top manager can turn his or her back on with barely a regret when necessary to save their own skin.

W. ATTENBOROUGH, Lincoln.