2025 Crisis and Strategic Communications Conference

Ian Arundale QPM is a former Chief Constable and senior law enforcement leader with over 35 years operational policing experience in the United Kingdom. Currently serving as a Chief Officer with Dyfed Powys Police focused on misconduct matters, he also provides expert consultancy on law enforcement policy, decision-making, and the management of critical incidents, particularly police involved shootings. He also currently sits on Discipline Panels for senior lawyers (Barristers and Kings Counsel).

Throughout his distinguished career, Ian held senior leadership roles in three UK police forces and played a pivotal role in shaping national policy. He notably served as the national lead for Armed Policing and Conflict Management on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) advising 54 law enforcement organisations. In this capacity, he was instrumental in developing and implementing the UK’s first Code of Practice on Police Use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons and later oversaw the transition to the Authorised Professional Practice (APP) framework. He introduced several less lethal options into UK policing and has advised law enforcement organisations worldwide.

Ian has commanded hundreds of major operations including counter-terrorism deployments and high-risk armed incidents. He has also acted as an expert advisor to the UK government, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, and multiple public inquiries, inquests and courts over the last twenty years.

His academic credentials include a BA in Police Studies, an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, and postgraduate Applied Criminology studies at Cambridge University. He is a Fulbright Scholar and a graduate of the UK Prime Minister’s Top Management Programme. He has lectured internationally and has contributed to law enforcement development across many jurisdictions.

Following retirement as a Chief Constable, Ian has continued to influence policing practices through expert witness and consultancy work in high-profile cases, including the Raoul Moat, Jermaine Baker and Anthony Grainger incidents in the UK.

In 2011, Ian was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for his contributions to UK policing with specific reference to his work on armed policing and conflict management. He remains an active and influential voice in advancing professional standards and accountability in policing. 

Karin Linder, Communication Strategist at the Swedish Police Authority, Police Region Bergslagen, will take you back to February 4th—the day that changed Sweden forever. On this day, the most violent school attack in the nation’s history struck Campus Risbergska in Örebro. 

In her presentation, Karin will share the immense challenges of crisis communication—from the chaos and fear of the first hours to the long, intensive four-month investigation that followed. This investigation was driven by one urgent mission: to uncover the truth and provide answers that could support healing—not only for a grieving society, but for shattered families, the injured, and every individual affected by the tragedy. 

She will discuss how the communication team prioritized the victims’ families as the primary audience, working closely with family liaison officers to ensure clear, compassionate messaging. She will also describe how they maintained communication readiness in response to media coverage and ultimately prepared a highly coordinated and emotionally resonant presentation of the investigation’s findings—one that combined precision, sensitivity, and storytelling on a profound level.

Speaker: Basia Radomski, Owner and Principal Consultant, SMRT Solution Consulting Inc.

With more than 20 years of experience in journalism, government communications, and high-stakes crisis management, Basia Radomski brings a unique blend of newsroom instincts and strategic leadership to crisis communications training. Beginning her career at CBC as a writer, producer, and journalist, she covered some of the country’s biggest news stories before moving into senior communications roles in municipal government. As designated Emergency Information Officer, she led all emergency communications during floods, ice storms, major fires, and the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as spokesperson, advising political and senior leaders, and coordinating messaging with provincial and federal agencies. Her expertise includes media training for elected officials, proactive reputation protection, and strategic audience engagement rooted in the principles established by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2). In the private sector, at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, she supported the firm’s leadership through sensitive, high-profile crises, crafting strategies to protect brand integrity while maintaining clients’ trust. Basia’s pragmatic, no-nonsense approach helps leaders anticipate issues, respond under pressure, and communicate with clarity, empathy, and credibility, building public confidence.

Speaker: Bill McKee – Owner and Principal Consultant, SMRT Solution Consulting Inc.

Bill McKee is a highly regarded trainer, facilitator, and strategist who combines 25 years of frontline emergency services experience with deep expertise in emergency management, crisis leadership, and labour relations. As a former Acting Captain with Toronto Fire Services and an executive board member of the Toronto Professional Firefighters Association, he played a pivotal role in high-stakes negotiations, human rights matters, workplace investigations, and government relations. His advocacy work set a landmark 2014 WSIAT decision recognizing PTSD in firefighters. Bill’s experience extends to consulting with public-sector clients such as the TTC, Manitoba Health, and the Region of Peel on emergency response planning, business continuity, and leadership coaching. As a former incident commander and licensed paralegal, he brings a multidimensional lens to crisis scenarios, knowing how to respond quickly and effectively with tactical decisions, clear communications and how to pivot in real-time, balancing tactical decision-making and legislative requirements with communication clarity. Bill’s approach helps organizations under pressure align internally, act decisively, and communicate effectively to protect both people and reputation.

SMRT Solution Consulting Inc. Conference Marketing 

“Let’s get comfortable with being uncomfortable: managing public perception with effective crisis communications.” 

When a crisis strikes, there’s no pause button. In today’s world of citizen journalism, instant video and social media, police leaders must be ready to respond with confidence, clarity, and credibility to build public trust. Let’s Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable: Managing Public Perception with Effective Crisis Communications is a fast-paced workshop designed exclusively for police professionals, media teams and leaders, to test your skills, learn from past mistakes and build capacity for strategic, trust-building communications. Led by SMRT Solution Consulting Inc.’s seasoned facilitators, Basia Radomski and Bill McKee, this hands-on session blends real-world case studies with a high-pressure tabletop scenario. Participants will dissect a high-profile incident turned PR crisis, explore how communication choices shaped public perception, and apply instructor-led theory in a realistic, evolving crisis simulation designed to stress-test team dynamics, sharpen skills and ability to pivot to address a developing scenario. This workshop challenges teams to view communications through a public lens, honing their ability to lead with clear, timely, and transparent messaging that navigates scrutiny, counters misinformation, and strengthens both trust and reputation.