Courage: Police CVF
Interview Questions and Example Answer Structure
Courage is one of the three values in the College of Policing's competency and values framework, and one of the five areas the online assessment centre (OAC) interview assesses. This page sets out what the College says courage means, what that looks like in an ordinary, non-police example, how to choose and structure your own answer, and the mistakes that weaken it. Facts checked against College of Policing sources on 1 October 2026.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 1 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Courage in the CVF is ethical, not physical: making and owning decisions, challenging unprofessional or discriminatory behaviour, and being honest about what you did. The OAC interview assesses it. Use a real example from any part of your life where doing the right thing was hard, and spend most of your up to five minutes on what you did and why. Values have no levels.
What the College of Policing says courage means
The College of Policing's 2024 competency and values framework (CVF) has three values: courage, respect and empathy, and public service. They are taken from the ethical policing principles in the College's Code of Ethics, published on 24 January 2024. The College defines courage as making, communicating and being accountable for decisions, and standing against anything that could bring policing into disrepute.
In plain English, the College's description of courage covers five ideas:
- Doing the right thing when it is difficult, and upholding ethical standards rather than going along with the easy option.
- Setting an example and keeping professional boundaries with the people you serve and work with.
- Challenging unprofessional behaviour and all forms of prejudice and discrimination, and anything that undermines impartiality.
- Being open about what you did and why, keeping promises, and supporting an environment where concerns can be raised and dealt with.
- Being honest and responding to criticism professionally.
The Code of Ethics groups the same value under five headings: taking responsibility, setting an example, challenging unprofessional behaviour and practice, being honest, open and accountable, and encouraging feedback and scrutiny. It adds two points worth knowing as a candidate: that people in policing should be courageous in challenging colleagues "irrespective of rank or grade", and that they should expect to be judged by the quality of their decision-making rather than just the outcome.
The CVF's six competencies are written at three levels, and initial recruitment is assessed at level 1. The three values are not split into levels: the College says everyone in policing is expected to show the same values whatever their role. So there is no "level 1 courage". What changes with seniority is the setting, not the standard.
Courage overlaps with other parts of the framework. Taking responsibility for decisions also appears in we take ownership, and managing your own bias sits under respect and empathy. One real situation often shows more than one area. What makes an example a courage example is the difficulty and the ethical choice at its centre.
Try one out loud. Answer a practice question free and get a scored result in about a minute. No account. Answer a question free
The courage behaviours, in plain English
The College lists eight example behaviours for courage. They are examples, not a checklist: the College says there are many other ways to show a value as long as they fit the description, and that the behaviours should not be used in isolation or as a checklist. The middle and right-hand columns below are our own illustrations, not College text.
| CVF example behaviour (paraphrased) | What it can look like in a real example | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Do the right thing, even when it feels difficult | You chose the honest or fair course when an easier one was available, and can explain why. | Doing what you were told and it turning out well. |
| Act as a role model for professional and ethical behaviour | Others could see you keeping a standard (for example, following a safety rule) when it was not being policed. | Saying you 'always lead by example' without a specific moment. |
| Challenge behaviour, language and attitudes that undermine the profession, and support others to do the same | You spoke to someone about a comment or practice, or backed up a colleague who raised it. | Laughing it off at the time and complaining later. |
| Stand up against discrimination, prejudice and hate | You intervened or reported when someone was treated unfairly because of who they are. | General statements that you are against discrimination. |
| Engage in difficult conversations about unprofessional behaviour | You had the conversation directly and calmly, even though it was awkward. | Only ever escalating anonymously when a direct word was safe and proportionate (escalating can be right; say why you chose it). |
| Address unprofessional conduct and take appropriate action | You took a proportionate next step when a first conversation did not work. | Taking matters into your own hands beyond your role. |
| Be open and responsive to scrutiny and challenge | You accepted criticism or a review of your decision without becoming defensive. | Explaining why the criticism was wrong. |
| Be honest and truthful, giving accurate accounts of actions and records | You corrected a record, admitted a mistake, or refused to sign off something that was not true. | Covering a mistake and fixing it quietly. |
You do not need an example that covers every row. The College's CVF guidance says it is not necessary to show evidence of every single indicator; what matters is showing the value as a whole. A single, well-told example of an honest correction or a calm challenge can carry a whole answer.
Where courage is assessed in police recruitment
Since 17 March 2026, regulation 10 of the Police Regulations 2003 requires candidates for constable (other than transferees) to pass the national sift, the online assessment process and an in-person interview with the force, each to the standard set by the College of Policing. The College publishes which CVF areas each national exercise assesses. As read on 1 October 2026:
| Stage or exercise | Courage assessed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| National sift: situational judgement test | No | The College lists six competencies for the SJT and no values. |
| National sift: behavioural styles questionnaire | Yes | The BSQ covers all six competencies and all three values; the College's advice is to answer honestly about how you really behave. |
| OAC: competency-based interview | Yes | One of five areas listed: courage, public service, respect and empathy, we take ownership, we are innovative and open-minded. |
| OAC: written exercise | No | Assesses respect and empathy, we analyse critically, we support and inspire, we collaborate. |
| OAC: briefing exercise | No | Assesses public service, we are emotionally aware, we take ownership, we are innovative and open-minded. |
| In-force interview (stage four) | Force decides | Each force sets its own questions to the national standard. The two force guides we read describe CVF-based questions without listing which areas. |
So in the OAC, the interview is the only exercise where courage is assessed. That makes your interview evidence for this value particularly important. The OAC interview has five questions and the College lists five areas, but the College does not say that each question maps to exactly one area, so do not assume one question will be "the courage question". The guide asks you to answer all five questions "ensuring you consider the relevant competencies and values".
Full details of the interview format are in the OAC interview explained, and the force stage is covered in the in-person police interview explained.
What assessors are likely to look for
The College does not publish the marking guide or the scoring scale for the interview. What it does publish is the CVF description, the instruction to use examples that show the relevant behaviours, and the warning that assessors can only assess you on what you tell them. Reading those together, a courage answer gives the assessor something to credit when it shows:
- A real difficulty. Something made the right course hard: a relationship, a more senior person, pressure from a group, embarrassment, or the risk of being blamed.
- A decision you made. The moment you chose to act, and the reasons you weighed.
- What you actually did and said. In order, in the first person, with enough detail that someone could picture it.
- Proportion. A response that fitted the seriousness of the situation, using the right route (a private word, a manager, a formal report).
- Honesty about the outcome. Including anything that went badly, and how you dealt with any criticism.
- Reflection. What you learned, or what you would do differently. The College's STAR description ends with "What did you learn?"
This list is our reading of the College's published material, not an official mark scheme. The candidate feedback report you get after the OAC gives an overall score for each exercise and describes what distinguished better-performing candidates; see how the police OAC is marked.
How to choose your own courage example
The College says you can use examples from both work and personal life, and no policing knowledge is needed. Use these prompts to search your own memory. They are prompts, not stories: the answer has to be something that really happened to you.
- When did someone's comment or joke about another person make you uncomfortable, and what did you do?
- When did you see a rule being cut that mattered for someone's safety or fairness?
- When did you back up someone else who had raised a concern?
- When did you own up to a mistake that nobody else had noticed?
- When were you asked to sign, record or report something you knew was not accurate?
- When did you give bad news honestly instead of softening it into something untrue?
- When did you make a fair decision that someone disagreed with, and explain it to them?
- When was your work or decision criticised, and how did you respond?
- When did you keep a promise that had become inconvenient?
- Paid work, including part-time and temporary jobs
- School, college or university group work
- Sports teams, clubs, faith or community groups
- Volunteering, caring for a relative, family life
Then test each candidate example against these checks:
- Was it genuinely hard? If the right thing was also the easy thing, it may show other values better.
- Was it your action? If someone else did the challenging and you watched, it is not your evidence.
- Can you remember the detail? What you said, roughly when, and what happened next. Vague memories produce vague answers.
- Can you tell it fairly? Without naming people, sharing confidential employer information, or turning it into a complaint about someone.
- Would you be comfortable being asked about it? In a force interview the panel may ask follow-up questions. Choose something you can talk about honestly in more depth.
Never invent or exaggerate an example, and never borrow one from a book, website or friend. Apart from being wrong, an invented courage story is the opposite of the value being assessed, and the College's automatic fail policy covers acting to gain an unfair advantage. The illustration below is there to show structure. Do not copy it.
An illustrative STAR structure for a courage answer
The College suggests STAR (situation, task, action, result) as a common approach in the OAC interview. The structure below uses an invented, ordinary example to show how the parts fit together.
This is an invented example written by PolicePay to show structure. It is not a real answer, it is not from any assessment, and it is not a model to memorise. Prepared scripts and notes are not allowed in the OAC, and evidence of them may mean an automatic fail. Use your own real example.
Situation
A candidate works weekend shifts in a supermarket's chilled food section. Temperature checks on the fridges must be done and signed every two hours. She notices that a longer-serving colleague has been signing the sheet for checks he has not done.
What it does: sets the scene in two sentences and makes clear why it matters (food safety, an accurate record).
Task
She is responsible for her own checks and for the record being true. The difficulty: he is popular, has trained her, and she is the newest person on the team.
What it does: names the responsibility and the reason it was hard, which is what turns this into courage.
Action
- She checks she is not mistaken: on two shifts she notes the times she sees the sheet signed and the probe not used.
- She speaks to him privately, explains what she has seen and why it matters, and asks him to do the checks. He laughs it off.
- On her own shifts she does every check and records the real readings, including one fridge that is above the limit, which she reports to the duty manager straight away.
- She then tells the duty manager, factually and without exaggeration, what she has seen on the earlier shifts, with the dates she noted, and says she has already spoken to her colleague.
- She explains her reasoning: the record is only useful if it is true, and staying quiet would mean signing alongside something she knew was false.
What it does: the longest part. Shows checking facts, a direct conversation first, accurate records, a proportionate escalation and the reasoning behind each step. It maps to several of the College's courage behaviours without naming them.
Result and learning
The manager retrains the team on the checks and the faulty fridge is repaired. The colleague is cool towards her for a few weeks. She reflects that she would raise it sooner next time, and that writing down dates and facts made it easier to report fairly.
What it does: an honest outcome, including the cost to her, and a specific piece of learning.
Notice what the illustration does not contain: no dramatic confrontation, no policing, no claim that she was "a natural leader". The evidence is in the sequence of choices. Your own example will be different in setting and detail, and that is the point.
Weaker and stronger courage answers compared
These are descriptions of patterns, not scripts. The left column shows habits that tend to leave an assessor with little to credit; the middle column shows what a stronger version of the same answer usually does instead.
| Weaker pattern | Stronger pattern | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| States a belief: 'I always stand up for what is right.' | Describes one specific moment: what was happening, what you noticed and what you did next. | Assessors can only credit behaviour you describe, not qualities you claim. |
| The difficulty is missing: the right thing was also the easy thing. | Explains what made it hard (a friendship, a senior person, being new, a risk of being disliked) and that you acted anyway. | The College's description is about doing the right thing when circumstances are difficult. |
| Escalates straight to a manager with no reasoning. | Explains why you chose to speak directly first, or why you went straight to someone else (for example, because it was serious or unsafe). | Either route can be right. Showing your reasoning is the evidence. |
| Heroic or physical: chasing a thief, confronting a group. | Ethical: an honest record, an unpopular fair decision, a challenged comment. | Physical risk is not what the CVF value describes, and risky behaviour can raise more questions than it answers. |
| Ends with 'and they were sacked'. | Ends with what changed and what you learned or would do differently. | Reflection and accepting scrutiny are part of the value. |
| Uses 'we' throughout. | Uses 'I' for what you did, and is fair to the others involved. | Derbyshire's guide asks for 'I' statements so the panel knows your contribution. |
Devon and Cornwall Police's interview guide lists "CVF bingo" (fitting in as many framework buzzwords as possible) as a common mistake and says buzzwords do not score. Saying "I showed courage" adds nothing; showing the moment you chose the harder, right option does.
Timing a five-minute courage answer
In the OAC interview you get 60 seconds of thinking time (not recorded) and up to five minutes (300 seconds) to record each answer. The College does not say how to divide the time. The split below is our suggestion for a five-minute answer, not a College rule. Force interviews set their own timings, which the force tells you in your invitation.
| Part | What to cover | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thinking time (60 seconds, not recorded) | Pick the example, jot four or five words for S, T, A and R, and note the one moment that was hardest. | You can make notes after receiving the question. Notes prepared beforehand are banned. |
| Situation (about 30 to 40 seconds) | Where you were, your role, what was going on. One or two sentences of context. | Keep names out. Enough detail to make the difficulty clear. |
| Task (about 20 to 30 seconds) | What you were responsible for and what made the right course hard. | This is where the 'difficult' part of courage is set up. |
| Action (about 2.5 to 3 minutes) | What you said and did, in order, and why. Include the moment you decided to act and any second step. | The longest part. The College calls it the main part of the answer. |
| Result and learning (about 45 to 60 seconds) | What happened, including anything that did not go well, and what you learned or would do differently. | The College's STAR description ends with 'What did you learn?' |
| Spare (about 15 to 30 seconds) | A buffer so you are not cut off mid-sentence. | The recording stops at 300 seconds unless you have an agreed adjustment. |
Five minutes is longer than many people expect. If your courage example runs out after two minutes, it usually needs more detail in the action (what you said, what you weighed, what you did next), not more background. If it overruns, cut the situation first. Timings differ if you have an agreed reasonable adjustment; see OAC technical requirements and reasonable adjustments.
Question styles that can invite courage evidence
The College does not publish the live interview questions, and you must not note, record or share assessment material. The only official example we found is on the national joiningthepolice site, which gives this sample with four prompts: "Please provide an example of a time when you have intervened to take control of a situation", followed by prompts asking why it was necessary to intervene, how you took control, what was effective about it, and what difficulties you overcame. That sample is not labelled with a CVF area.
The practice prompts below are written by PolicePay. They are not real questions and real wording will differ. Use them to rehearse choosing an example, not to predict the assessment.
- Tell us about a time you challenged someone's behaviour because you believed it was wrong.
- Describe a time you had to be honest with someone when it would have been easier not to be.
- Tell us about a decision you made that was unpopular. How did you explain it?
- Describe a time your work or a decision of yours was criticised. What did you do?
- Future-focused (force interviews may use these): what would you do if you saw a colleague treating a member of the public unfairly?
The College's CVF guidance says most interview questions should be about past behaviour, with hypothetical questions sometimes used. Derbyshire Constabulary's guide describes past-focused, future-focused and exploratory (motivation) questions in its force interview. For a future-focused question, answer what you would do and why; you can briefly mention a real time you did something similar.
Common mistakes with courage answers
Mistake: treating courage as bravery
The CVF describes ethical courage: decisions, honesty, challenge and scrutiny. A story about physical danger often says little about those, and may raise questions about judgement.
Mistake: answering the value, not the question
Devon and Cornwall's guide lists "answered the competency and not the question" as a common mistake. If the question asks about a decision someone disagreed with, talk about that decision.
Mistake: leaving out the difficulty
Without the reason it was hard, an answer about reporting a problem can sound like routine procedure. Say what made it uncomfortable.
Mistake: making yourself the hero and others the villains
The value includes respecting people while challenging them. Describe the other person neutrally and focus on your own conduct.
Mistake: hiding what went wrong
Accepting scrutiny and being open about outcomes are part of courage. The joiningthepolice STAR advice says that if the outcome was negative, include what you would do differently.
Mistake: using a memorised script
Prepared notes or scripts are banned in the OAC. Practise until you can tell the example naturally from a few memory hooks, then put the notes away.
Mistake: relying on 2016 material
Older prep guides teach integrity, impartiality and transparency as values. The 2024 values are courage, respect and empathy, and public service. See the CVF explained for what changed.
How to practise your courage example
- Read the College's description of courage in full, not just the bullet points. The College says assessment should consider the description as a whole.
- List three real situations using the prompts above, then pick the one with the clearest difficulty and the most of your own action.
- Write four memory hooks (one per STAR part), not a full script.
- Say it aloud against a five-minute timer. Record yourself if you can; joiningthepolice suggests recording yourself can help.
- Check the balance. If the action is under half your time, add detail on what you said, decided and why.
- Practise with a different question wording so you can adapt the same example to what is actually asked.
- Put the notes away before the assessment. Only notes made after you receive a question are allowed.
Paste your draft into the free STAR answer checker to see whether situation, task, action and result are all there and in proportion. It checks structure only: it cannot judge whether your example shows courage or predict a score. Then rehearse aloud with the free mock interview, which lets you choose courage as the CVF value and gives you example questions. Its practice timer runs for three minutes, shorter than the OAC's five, so use your own timer for full-length runs. A scored result on your own answer (a score out of 10, a pass or refer verdict and your main gap) is free, up to 5 a day; the full critique and a model answer are a paid option described on the mock interview page.
For a wider plan across all three OAC exercises, see the police OAC preparation plan or try the free OAC readiness check. Preparation helps you show what you can do; it cannot guarantee a result.
What to ask your force
- Does your in-person interview assess courage, and is it based on the 2024 CVF or a force framework mapped to it?
- How long is each answer, and is there preparation time with the questions? (Devon and Cornwall's guide describes 10 minutes with the questions and pen and paper; other forces differ.)
- Will the panel ask follow-up questions?
- How do I request a reasonable adjustment or accommodation for the interview?
- Will I get feedback if I am unsuccessful, and when?
Find your force's recruitment page through the free police force finder, and see how long the stages can take with the recruitment timeline planner.
What we could not verify
- Whether each of the five OAC interview questions targets exactly one CVF area. The College lists five areas and five questions but does not say they map one to one. We have not assumed they do.
- How courage is weighted in the interview score, or what score is needed to pass. The College does not publish a mark scheme, weighting or pass mark.
- Whether questions name the value they are assessing. The College's guide and the joiningthepolice example do not say.
- Which areas each force's in-person interview covers. We read two force guides (Derbyshire, 2022; Devon and Cornwall, 2024); neither lists the areas. Ask your force.
- The timing split on this page is our suggestion. The College gives the total time per answer, not a split.
PolicePay is independent of the College of Policing, the Home Office and every police force. This page paraphrases the College's CVF, Code of Ethics principles and candidate guides as read on 1 October 2026. The illustration is our own invented example. Assessment formats can change: the College's pages and your force's instructions take priority over anything here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does courage mean in the police CVF?
The College of Policing defines courage as making, communicating and being accountable for decisions, and standing against anything that could bring policing into disrepute. Its example behaviours include doing the right thing when it feels difficult, challenging unprofessional or discriminatory behaviour, being open to scrutiny, and giving honest, accurate accounts of your actions and records.
Is courage assessed in the police OAC interview?
Yes. The College's online assessment candidate guide (updated 21 July 2026) lists courage as one of five areas the competency-based interview assesses, alongside public service, respect and empathy, we take ownership, and we are innovative and open-minded. In the OAC it is not listed for the written or briefing exercises. It is also measured in the national sift's behavioural styles questionnaire.
What is a good example of courage for a police interview?
One that is real, recent enough to remember clearly, and shows you doing the right thing when it was uncomfortable: raising a concern about how someone was treated, refusing to sign off something that was not true, owning up to a mistake, or making and explaining an unpopular but fair decision. It does not need to involve danger or policing. Use your own example; the College does not publish model answers.
Does courage mean physical bravery in the police CVF?
Not mainly. The CVF's courage is ethical courage: decisions, honesty, challenging poor behaviour and accepting scrutiny. Nothing in the College's description is about physical risk. An example about stepping into danger can still show courage if it is about the decision you made and why, but it is not what the value describes.
What if I have never challenged anyone's behaviour?
Do not invent an example. Courage in the CVF also covers being honest about a mistake, giving an accurate account when it would have been easier not to, accepting criticism professionally and standing behind a fair decision. Think across work, study, volunteering, sport and family life. If you genuinely have little, a smaller real example told well is better than a dramatic one you cannot support with detail.
Is courage the same as integrity?
Integrity was a value in the 2016 CVF but is not a named value in the 2024 version. Much of what used to sit under integrity and transparency (honesty, accurate records, being open about decisions, challenging poor behaviour) now appears in the College's description of courage. For serving officers, honesty and integrity remain a Standard of Professional Behaviour in the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020.
What CVF level is courage assessed at?
Values have no levels. The College says everyone in policing is expected to show the same values whatever their role, so there is no level 1 version of courage. The competencies are assessed at level 1 for initial recruitment.
How long should a courage answer be in the OAC?
The OAC interview gives you 60 seconds of thinking time and up to five minutes (300 seconds) to record each answer. There is no official word count or required length. Our suggestion, not a College rule, is to keep the situation and task under a minute together and spend at least half the time on what you did and why.
Will the OAC interview question actually say the word courage?
The College does not say. Its guide says each question comes with on-screen prompts and asks you to consider the relevant competencies and values. The example question on the national joiningthepolice site does not name a value. Answer the question asked rather than waiting for the word.
Can I use an example about reporting a friend or colleague?
Yes, if it really happened and it shows what you did and why. Describe people neutrally, do not name them, do not share confidential details from an employer, and focus on your own actions and reasoning rather than on criticising the other person.
Can I use the same courage example in my force interview?
Nothing we read stops you, but force interviews are run by each force with their own questions, often with follow-up questions in person. Have more than one real example ready, and answer the question that is actually asked.
Can I use an example from school, sport or family life?
Yes. The College says you can use examples from work and personal life, and Derbyshire Constabulary's interview guide mentions school, college, work, home and family, clubs and volunteering. What matters is the behaviour and your reasoning, not the setting.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 1 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- College of Policing: CVF values (courage, respect and empathy, public service), first published 8 May 2024 — the definition and example behaviours for courage paraphrased on this page (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Competency and values framework for policing 2024 (PDF) — values are derived from the ethical policing principles; behaviours are examples, not a checklist (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Ethical policing principles, Code of Ethics (first published 24 January 2024) — the five ways the Code says courage is shown, including challenging colleagues irrespective of rank (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Online assessment process candidate guide (updated 21 July 2026) — five questions; 60 seconds thinking, 300 seconds answering; courage among the five areas the interview assesses; STAR; no prepared notes; work and personal life examples (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: National sift candidate guidance (updated 1 June 2026) — the SJT assesses competencies only; the BSQ assesses competencies and values (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Competency and values framework guidance 2024 (PDF) — interviews should mostly ask about past behaviour, sometimes hypothetical situations; candidates should show how they apply the values (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/527), regulation 10, latest text — since 17 March 2026, candidates for constable must pass the sift, the online assessment process and an in-person force interview to the College's standard (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/4), Schedule 2, latest text — Standards of Professional Behaviour for officers, including honesty and integrity, and challenging and reporting improper conduct (accessed 1 October 2026)
- joiningthepolice.co.uk: What does the competency-based interview (CBI) involve? — the national recruitment site's example question and prompts, and its STAR advice to say what you would do differently if the outcome was negative (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Derbyshire Constabulary: In-force interview preparation guide (2022, PDF) — one force's CVF-based interview: past, future and exploratory questions; follow-up questions; use 'I' not 'we' (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Devon and Cornwall Police: Force interviews, CVF preparation guide (2024, PDF) — one force's interview: answer the question not the competency; buzzwords do not score; wrong CVF level is a common mistake (accessed 1 October 2026)
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force, and it does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Recruitment standards, assessment formats and vetting decisions are set by the College of Policing and each force and change from time to time: check the force you are applying to before relying on anything here. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 1 October 2026.