The In-Person Police Interview, Explained
What actually happens in the room, how it differs from the OAC, and why the same CVF preparation needs a different delivery.
Updated: 1 October 2026
Last reviewed 1 October 2026. Sources: College of Policing, March 2026 on the four stages, College online assessment candidate guide for the OAC, Dorset Police and Derbyshire Constabulary and Devon & Cornwall Police interview guidance (2024 version, 2023 version) for examples of force formats; Police Regulations 2003, regulation 10; College reasonable adjustments guide.
The in-person interview is stage 4 of 4 of police constable recruitment in England and Wales: an interview with the force you are applying to join, after the online assessment centre (OAC). Since 17 March 2026 the law requires you to pass it to the College of Policing's national standard. Forces that publish their format describe panels of two or three and lengths from about 30 minutes to an hour and a half, but the format, notes rules and follow-ups vary by force: see what each of the 43 forces says.
Try one out loud. Answer a practice question free and get a scored result in about a minute. No account. Answer a question free
What actually happens in the room
Regulation 10(1)(eb) of the Police Regulations 2003, inserted from 17 March 2026, requires candidates (other than transferees) to "pass an in-person interview with the police force to which they are applying that meets the national standard". The national standard is the College of Policing's minimum standard of competencies and values. The College does not publish a national interview script, and its own adjustments guide refers to an "in-force interview candidate preparation guide" that forces issue, so formats vary. Forces that publish their format describe things like:
- •A panel of interviewers rather than a recorded platform (one force says its panel is two members, and another that it is police officers and staff)
- •Structured, competency-based questions set against the Competency and Values Framework role profile for a police constable, at Level 1 for initial recruitment
- •A set list of questions, sometimes with supplementary points for each; whether a panel asks extra follow-ups varies by force
- •Some forces run it over a video call rather than in a room, and some combine it with other checks on the same day, so read your invitation carefully
The exact structure, number of questions and length vary by force. Examples: Dorset Police says its interview is up to 40 minutes with a panel of officers and staff, exploring your values and motivation against the police constable role profile, and may be on the same day as biometric vetting samples and a fitness test. Derbyshire Constabulary's guide describes a panel of usually two, a conversational interview of about 45 minutes with follow-up questions, and three kinds of question: past-focused, future-focused and exploratory (motivation, the role and the force). Devon and Cornwall Police's 2024 guide describes two panel members (officers, specials or staff), 10 minutes to prepare with the questions, pen and paper, notes you can take in, and feedback within three weeks if you are unsuccessful; its 2023 version described an MS Teams call and allowed prepared notes. These are examples from those forces, not a national rule, and the OAC rules on notes do not apply to a force interview. Always check your own invitation letter.
How it differs from the OAC
| Area | OAC | In-Person |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Three online exercises on the Tazio platform: recorded interview, written exercise, spoken briefing | Face-to-face interview with your force; format set by the force (some describe a panel of officers and staff) |
| Follow-up questions | No live assessor; timed, and you cannot restart an exercise once started | Varies by force; some describe supplementary prompts under each question |
| Notes | No prepared notes or scripts (automatic fail risk); notes made on the platform allowed | Set by the force; one force gives 10 minutes with the questions to make notes you can take in |
| Length | About 40 minutes for the interview exercise (five questions, 60 seconds to think, up to 5 minutes each) | Set by the force: Dorset up to 40 minutes, Derbyshire about 45 minutes |
| Question types | Past behaviour, with on-screen prompts | Past-focused, future-focused (what would you do) and motivation questions in one published force guide |
| Best preparation (our advice) | Timed, self-contained STAR practice | STAR practice plus being ready to talk about each example in more depth |
What a panel may be listening for (our advice)
The College and forces do not publish a checklist of these. As coaching advice, it helps to be able to show:
- ✓An answer that sounds conversational, not memorised word-for-word
- ✓That you can go deeper on a specific decision or moment if asked
- ✓That you stay composed if you are asked something unexpected
- ✓A reflection on the outcome that sounds genuine rather than rehearsed
This is why practising only recorded answers may not fully prepare you for a live conversation, if your force uses one.
How to prepare, step by step
- Read your invitation for the length, format (in a room or on a call), panel and any rules on notes. If it is unclear, ask the recruitment team rather than relying on rumour, which is also what Devon and Cornwall's guide advises.
- Re-read the Competency and Values Framework: three values (courage, respect and empathy, public service) and six competencies, at level 1 for new constables. Our guides by area start with courage and we take ownership.
- Prepare honest examples from work, study, volunteering, family or clubs that you can talk about in depth, not just in a two-minute summary.
- Prepare for "what would you do" questions and for motivation questions about policing and the force, which one force's guide lists alongside past-behaviour questions. Research the force and its communities.
- Practise out loud with a timer and with someone who can ask "why did you do that?" afterwards. Use "I", not "we", so the panel can credit your part.
- If a disability, injury, pregnancy or other condition might disadvantage you, contact the force early about a reasonable adjustment; the College says extra preparation and response time are possible.
Illustrative example, not a real interview question: "If a colleague made a remark about a member of the public that you thought was discriminatory, what would you do?" A useful answer says what you would do first, why, and how you would follow it up, linked to courage and respect and empathy.
What we could not verify
- The College's national standard for the force interview in detail, and its "in-force interview candidate preparation guide". We could not find a public copy.
- How forces score the interview or what mark you need. None of the force guides we read publishes this.
- Whether every force now uses the same question types. We read three forces' published guides (Dorset, Derbyshire 2022, Devon and Cornwall 2023 and 2024); others may differ.
Next steps after a pass usually include vetting, medical and fitness checks: see what happens after the OAC. Not sure whether your route changes anything? See assessment by entry route.
Practise the part a recorded answer can't test
Our AI interview simulator has an in-person practice mode that treats your answer as an opening response to a live panel and flags a likely follow-up question. It is independent practice and cannot predict or guarantee your result. Unlimited practice for 90 days, or 6 months in one payment.