Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 5th Edition by Raymond Noe, John Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhart, Patrick Wright

Exercise 16

How to Recruit a Public Outcry
British Prime Minister David Cameron learned the hard way that sometimes only a local candidate will do. The British police had been rocked by scandal and scathing criticism. The department had responded ineffectively to rioting in London in the summer of 2011, and the police department was mixed up in the scandal in which News Corporation reporters arranged to hack into the phones of public figures. Looking for someone to lead an overhaul of the police department, Cameron looked across the Atlantic and saw someone with major accomplishments: Bill Bratton.
Bratton headed the police departments in Boston, Los Angeles, and New York City. His accomplishments included leading those organizations as they restored morale and reduced crime in each city. Based on those successes, Cameron believed Bratton could help the department rein in gang violence and soothe racially based tensions as commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police. So praising Bratton's experience and knowledge, he invited the retired commissioner, now a security consultant, to come work for the British government.
Bratton was intrigued by the offer, but the British public was appalled, as were the British police unions. One detective was quoted calling the choice "a sad indictment of what the government thinks of our senior officers in this country." Britain's Home Secretary pointed out that the London police commissioner is also responsible for national security and there should be a British citizen in the position. Prime Minister Cameron opted to work with Bratton as a consultant instead.
How could Prime Minister Cameron have avoided the embarrassment of reversing his recruiting decision while considering the best options to fill the commissioner's position?