Christine Nixon

“The police are there to do the job, not to think about it,' was the line used by critics, the harshest of which were often other police. But police officers see and hear at first hand the things that ail a society, and along the way they gain trememdous insight into how to fix problems or processes, even if they can't change people's behaviours or attitudes. With the right systems and resources, their personal capacity for creating a safer society is far more powerful than the guns they carry. This would be the thinking driving my direction when I later came to Victoria to take charge of its police force.”

“...for all my regard for democracy , and my embrace of consultative management, there's a lot to be said for benevolent depotism. My inclination towards that model only increased when I went on to study philosophy and politics and early civilisations. I'm happy to consult broadly where appropriate, to draw in ideas. But when it is clear the direction that must be taken, leadership is about persuading people to come on board to work together on the strategy you believe will work. Sometimes you might get them there through subtle persuasion. At other times, I might still say, as I did so often at fifteen, 'Oh, please, just shut up and let's get on with it.”