She's the top policewoman in Richmond and wider South West London, leading a team of 1,450 employees.

Yet that's not what is most impressive about SW command unit leader Sally Benatar – at least today.

In the new normal, as we meet via Zoom, it's what you're reading that counts.

And it appears Ms Benatar, a chief superintendent, is as perfectly relaxed in her civvy clothing in front of her fulsome and colour-coordinated bookshelf as she is leading bobbies on the beat.

Richmond neighbourhood inspector Rebecca Robinson is also on the call, dressed in full police uniform.

"Richmond is just lovely," she said. "Sometimes I just count my blessings and think 'I get paid to do this'."

Ms Benatar said it's important for neighbourhood teams to become ingrained in their communities.

"You develop a love for the borough because you get to know it so well.

"Rebecca has really detailed knowledge of what her team are doing in Richmond."

The responsibility of being accountable to a region is a motivation and source of professional pride for Ms Benatar too.

"For me it's the most satisfying and challenging of all the postings I've had," she said.

"We're all very proud of working in Richmond, Kingston, Wandsworth and Merton. We're all very focussed on making them safer and listening, particularly at the moment.

"We do recognise all the tension and the need to listen to what the communities are saying. We do have policing by consent."

Richmond residents want to feel safe

She notes how meetings on crime and policing matters in Richmond get very high turnouts from locals.

Last month, a 'Community Conversation' held via Zoom with police and leaders on Richmond Council was attended by 170 Richmond residents, following concerns about a spike in crime.

Ms Benatar said: "They're demanding for a good reason. It's a beautiful borough and they want to feel safe.

"They don't want any anti-social behaviour and they don't want any crime."

"It's important that we listen to young people," she added. "Rebecca and I are in the process of answering questions from schoolchildren across Richmond borough.

"They've given us a really wide range of deep questions about all sorts of things around Black Lives Matter, the death of George Floyd, stop and search and how young people should be treated."

Policing in the age of covid

Police teams across the country have faced huge challenges about how to police in recent months.

The entry of Covid-19 into the UK population forced officers to make on-the-spot judgement calls on whether it was right to make a physical arrest.

Protests then erupted after the killing of an unarmed black man by a white policeman in the USA, despite social distancing measures meaning people must keep 2 metres apart.

"It's really turbulent. I haven't known a time like it in my police career," Ms Benatar said.

She praised the courage shown by her officers in dealing with the protests.

"They run towards danger when others run away from it," she said.

"They're always out there [on the frontline]. They've responsive and very professional."

"We have powers that we will use and have used them to keep the communities safe and suppress violence," she added.

"And we must use them ethically and proportionally."

For example, body-worn video cameras are always live when an officer conducts a stop and search.

A very supportive leader

After 31 years in the force, Ms Benatar does not need a library of books to speak the language of policing as if it's her mother tongue.

She has spent the last three years in her current role in which she is responsible for the safety of SW London's 900,000 residents.

Ms Robinson has been with the Met Police for 13 years, starting out in Shepherd's Bush before moving to the Westminster beat.

She has spent the last four years in the South West of the capital, moving over most recently from her position as sergeant in Wandsworth.

Ms Robinson said of her boss: "She's very supportive. I'm not just saying this but she's one of the most supportive leaders that I've ever had and I think that's felt right down to constable level.

"I would say the South West is known as a good BCU (borough command unit).

"The new inspectors are really excited to come and work here."

Read our latest crime reports

Teenager charged with murder of 53-year-old in Barnes