Police Scotland
Values and Ethics
Police Scotland's four values run through its whole selection process: a 400-word question on the application, every exercise on the assessment day and the declaration you make on appointment. This guide explains the values, the Competency and Values Framework, the constable's declaration and the private life rules. It also shows how each is used at each stage.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 22 October 2026 · Scotland unless stated
Fairness, Integrity, Respect and Human Rights. They underpin Police Scotland's Competency and Values Framework (CVF), which has six competencies in three clusters and puts constables at level 1. Every assessment day exercise is assessed against the CVF. On appointment, constables declare they will act with fairness, candour, integrity, diligence and impartiality, follow the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland and uphold fundamental human rights.
Police Scotland's four values
Police Scotland's values are Fairness, Integrity, Respect and Human Rights. The application form states them in exactly that order in its values question. Police Scotland's Competency and Values Framework lists them as the values underpinning all its competencies.
For an applicant, the values matter in three concrete ways:
- You answer a 400-word question about your own values on the application form.
- Police Scotland says all the competencies and values are assessed throughout the assessment day.
- If appointed, you make a formal declaration that commits you to similar principles and the Code of Ethics.
If you have read England and Wales guides, you will have seen a different set of values from the College of Policing framework. Police Scotland's CVF keeps the College's competencies but uses its own four values. Use the Scottish four in everything you write and say.
Each value in practice
Police Scotland's recruitment pages name the values but the application asks you how you practise them, so it helps to think of each as behaviour. The descriptions below are our plain summaries, not Police Scotland's definitions.
| Value | In behaviour (our summary) | An everyday example an applicant might use |
|---|---|---|
| Fairness | Applying the same standard to everyone and being open about how decisions are made | Allocating weekend shifts by a written rule, including to yourself and to friends |
| Integrity | Honesty and doing the right thing when it costs you something | Reporting a colleague's falsified records after first raising it with them |
| Respect | Treating people with dignity, especially when they make it hard | Changing how you approach an aggressive customer or patient so they accept help |
| Human rights | Protecting people's safety, dignity, privacy and say in decisions that affect them | Making sure a vulnerable person was asked before a decision about them |
Notice how the constable's declaration (below) echoes these: fairness and integrity appear in its words. It ends with upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people.
The Competency and Values Framework (CVF)
Police Scotland's selection process is built on its Competency and Values Framework (CVF). The PDF Police Scotland publishes is titled "Competency & Values Framework (CVF) for Police Scotland" and is dated September 2020. Police Scotland describes it as "modified with permission" from the College of Policing framework used in England and Wales.
What Police Scotland says about how it is used in recruitment:
- "All of the exercises are assessed against the Police Scotland Competencies and Values Framework (CVF). All of the Competencies and Values are assessed throughout the course of the assessment day."
- At the interview, "All questions align to a competency within the Police Scotland CVF, the competency assessed will be outlined to you with the delivery of the question."
The CVF has three parts: the values, six competencies grouped in three clusters and three levels by rank and grade.
The six competencies and three clusters
| Cluster | Competency | What it is about (our plain summary) |
|---|---|---|
| Resolute, compassionate and committed | We are emotionally aware | Understanding your own and other people's feelings and adapting how you act |
| Resolute, compassionate and committed | We take ownership | Taking responsibility for problems and your own actions and seeing them through |
| Inclusive, enabling and visionary leadership | We are collaborative | Working with colleagues, partners and the public towards a shared result |
| Inclusive, enabling and visionary leadership | We deliver, support and inspire | Getting things done to a good standard and supporting others to do the same |
| Intelligent, creative and informed policing | We analyse critically | Weighing information and evidence to reach sound decisions |
| Intelligent, creative and informed policing | We are innovative and open-minded | Being open to new ideas and different ways of working |
Each competency is described in the CVF with behaviours at each level. As a constable applicant you are assessed at level 1. Read the level 1 behaviours in the PDF itself: they are the closest thing Police Scotland publishes to what assessors are looking for.
List two real examples for each of the six competencies before your assessment day. The interview has four questions, each tied to one competency. You will not know which four in advance. Our interview guide shows how to turn an example into a spoken answer.
CVF levels: constable is level 1
| CVF level | Police officer ranks | Police staff grades |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Constable | Grades 1 to 3 |
| Level 2 | Sergeant, inspector and chief inspector | Grades 4 to 10 |
| Level 3 | Superintendent, chief superintendent and executive | Grades 11 to 14 |
The levels matter later in a career. Promotion in Police Scotland is "by selection" after probation, through the qualifying diploma or the Police Leadership Development Programme. Sergeant is a level 2 role. For a new applicant, level 1 is the only one that matters.
The constable's declaration
Your appointment as a constable only takes effect once you make a declaration before a sheriff, summary sheriff or justice of the peace, under section 10 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. Since June 2025 the wording commits you to:
- discharge the duties of the office "with fairness, candour, integrity, diligence and impartiality";
- follow the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland;
- "uphold fundamental human rights and accord equal respect to all people, according to law".
Read alongside the four values, the declaration is a useful guide to what Police Scotland expects: fairness and integrity appear by name, human rights and respect appear in the final line and candour (being open and truthful) is added.
The Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland
The constable's declaration commits every new officer to follow the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland. We have not reviewed the code's contents for this guide, so we do not summarise it here. What we can say from the sources we checked:
- The CVF is underpinned by Police Scotland's values and its Code of Ethics.
- Following the code is part of the formal declaration on appointment.
The code is published by Police Scotland. Reading it gives you language for the values that comes from Police Scotland itself, which is more useful than any summary. You do not need to quote it: the assessment day requires no policing, legal or procedural knowledge.
Rules on a constable's private life
Schedule 1 to the Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 sets restrictions on the private lives of constables:
- You must avoid any activity likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of your duties, or to give the public that impression.
- In particular, you must not take any active part in politics.
- You must not wilfully refuse or neglect to pay any lawful debt.
Business interests have their own rules under regulation 5: you notify any business interest (including other employment for gain) and constables need consent to hold one. That is why the application form has a business interests section.
These rules link directly to the values. Impartiality is fairness in practice. Paying lawful debts is part of why Police Scotland's finance rules exist at recruitment (see the finance and debt rules).
How the values show up at each stage
| Stage | Where the values and CVF are used | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Application form | A values question (maximum 400 words) asks for your personal values and how you practise them; the statement asks for your skills and attributes | Show each value with a real example |
| Declarations | You declare convictions, tattoos and business interests; everything is confirmed at vetting | Integrity starts with an accurate form |
| Group task (50 minutes) | Assessed against the CVF | How you treat other candidates is evidence |
| Situational judgement exercise (60 minutes) | Assessed against the CVF; no policing, legal or procedural knowledge required | Say what you would consider: people's safety, fairness and rights |
| Interview (20 minutes, four questions) | Each question aligns to a CVF competency, named as the question is asked | Prepare examples for all six competencies |
| Vetting | Confirms the information you gave | Consistency between what you said and what is found |
| Appointment | The constable's declaration before a sheriff, summary sheriff or justice of the peace | A formal promise that includes the Code of Ethics |
| Your career | Schedule 1 private life restrictions; business interests need consent; CVF level 2 for sergeant and above | The values follow you after training |
Each value, stage by stage
The same picture value by value, using only what Police Scotland publishes about each stage. Where a stage does not test values (the PSET), we say so.
| Stage | Fairness | Integrity | Respect | Human rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application form | Named in the values question (400 words max) | Named in the values question; accurate declarations of convictions, tattoos and business interests | Named in the values question | Named in the values question |
| PSET | Not tested: the PSET covers numeracy, literacy and information handling | Not tested as a value; exam conditions apply | Not tested | Not tested |
| Fitness test | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
| Group task | Assessed against the CVF, which the values underpin | Assessed against the CVF | Assessed against the CVF; how you treat the group is visible | Assessed against the CVF |
| Situational judgement exercise | Assessed against the CVF; scenarios are policing-related | Assessed against the CVF | Assessed against the CVF | Assessed against the CVF |
| Interview | Each question aligns to a named CVF competency | As left | As left | As left |
| Vetting | Not published as a values check | Confirms what you declared | Not published as a values check | Not published as a values check |
| Declaration | "with fairness, candour, integrity, diligence and impartiality" | In the same words | "accord equal respect to all people" | "uphold fundamental human rights" |
| Probation (2 years) | Mostly response policing; Schedule 1 impartiality applies | Schedule 1: pay lawful debts; business interests need consent | Daily work with the public | Daily work with the public |
Police Scotland says all of the competencies and values are assessed throughout the assessment day. It does not say how each value is weighted in each exercise, so the rows for the assessment day are deliberately general.
Thinking through a situation with the values (original practice)
The situational judgement exercise on the assessment day is spoken and reactive: assessors describe an unfolding, hypothetical policing scenario and ask each candidate what they would consider and do. No policing, legal or procedural knowledge is required. The values give you a simple checklist for what to say. The three situations below were written by PolicePay for practice. They are not Police Scotland scenarios and Police Scotland does not publish how answers are scored.
| Invented situation | Fairness | Integrity | Respect | Human rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A shopkeeper insists you arrest a teenager he says stole from him, but another customer says she saw nothing taken. | Hear both sides before deciding; do not let the louder person decide for you | Say honestly what you can and cannot do yet; do not promise an outcome | Speak calmly to both; do not humiliate the teenager in front of others | Think about the young person's age and safety and treat him as innocent until you know more |
| A colleague on your team jokes about a member of the public's accent after they leave. | The public deserve the same service whoever they are | Raise it rather than laughing along, even though it is awkward | Challenge the comment without attacking your colleague | Equal respect to all people is part of the constable's declaration |
| A distressed older man you are helping asks you not to tell his family he fell, but he seems confused. | Balance his wishes with what others may need to know | Be truthful with him about what you need to do and why | Explain things patiently and involve him in decisions | Respect his privacy and dignity while making sure he is safe |
You will not usually name the values out loud in the exercise. What helps is that your reasoning naturally covers the people involved, what is fair to each, being honest about what you will do and keeping people safe and treated with dignity. Our group task and SJE overview has more on how the exercise runs.
Three more practice situations, with discussion
In the real exercise a scenario unfolds in stages and you answer out loud with no reading time. To practise, read stage 1, say your answer aloud for a minute, then read stage 2 and do the same. The discussion is our own reading of how the values apply, not Police Scotland's model answer. These scenarios are original PolicePay material.
Situation A: the lost wallet
Stage 1: On patrol, a member of the public hands you a wallet found on a bench. It contains £150 and a bank card.
Stage 2: A colleague jokes that nobody would miss a tenner from it and that the finder will never know.
Stage 1 is about doing the ordinary things properly: thank the finder, record what was handed in and how much money is in it in front of them if you can and think about how the owner can be traced. Stage 2 is a direct integrity test. A good spoken answer is clear and calm: you would not take anything, you would say so to your colleague and, if it was not a joke, you would raise it. Respect matters too: you can challenge without humiliating them.
Situation B: two neighbours
Stage 1: Two neighbours are arguing loudly in a street about parking. One is shouting; the other is quiet and looks frightened.
Stage 2: The shouting neighbour says the other "doesn't belong here" and makes a remark about her religion.
At stage 1, fairness means hearing both people and not siding with the more confident one; respect means lowering the temperature and speaking to each calmly, perhaps separately. Stage 2 changes the situation: a remark targeting someone's religion raises her safety and equal treatment. A good answer notices the change out loud, puts her safety first, makes clear the remark is not acceptable and says you would involve colleagues or a supervisor as needed. No legal knowledge is required: noticing that the situation has become more serious is the point.
Situation C: the missed appointment
Stage 1: You promised to call back a victim of a minor theft today with an update. You are running late and the shift is busy.
Stage 2: You realise you also forgot to record a detail she gave you yesterday.
This is a quieter integrity and respect situation. Keeping your word to a victim, even with a short call to say when you will update her, treats her with respect. At stage 2 the honest course is to own the mistake: correct the record now, tell your supervisor if it matters and apologise to her if it affects her. Candour (being open and truthful) is one of the words in the constable's declaration.
How the six competencies connect to the values (our reading)
Police Scotland's CVF says the competencies are underpinned by its values, but it is the examples you give that show both. The links below are our reading, to help you choose examples that show a competency and a value at the same time. They are not Police Scotland's definitions.
| Competency | Values it often draws on (our reading) | An example that could show both |
|---|---|---|
| We are emotionally aware | Respect; human rights | Noticing someone was distressed, adapting how you spoke to them and checking they understood |
| We take ownership | Integrity | Owning a mistake, fixing it and telling the people affected |
| We are collaborative | Respect; fairness | Bringing a quieter colleague into a decision and sharing credit |
| We deliver, support and inspire | Integrity; fairness | Keeping a commitment under pressure and helping a colleague meet theirs |
| We analyse critically | Fairness; human rights | Weighing both sides of a dispute before deciding and considering who was most vulnerable |
| We are innovative and open-minded | Respect; fairness | Changing a process after listening to someone it was not working for |
When you build your example bank for the interview, tag each example with one competency and one value. If a value has no examples tagged, find one.
A quick self-check on each value
Before you write your values answer or go into the assessment day, try answering these for yourself. If you cannot think of an example for one, spend time finding one: it will be useful at the interview too.
| Value | Ask yourself | If you are stuck |
|---|---|---|
| Fairness | When did I apply the same rule to everyone, including someone close to me? | Think of rotas, team selection, sharing work or settling a disagreement |
| Integrity | When did I tell the truth or do the right thing when it cost me? | Think of owning a mistake, handing something back or raising a concern |
| Respect | When did I treat someone well who was making it hard? | Think of complaints, distress, confusion or a language barrier |
| Human rights | When did I protect someone's safety, dignity, privacy or say in a decision? | Think of caring, advocating for someone or challenging unfair treatment |
How to prepare on values
- Read the CVF PDF. The values section and the level 1 behaviours for each competency. Note words you would naturally use about yourself.
- Write your values answer. One real example for each of the four values, under 400 words. See our values question guide and values question tool.
- Build an example bank of two examples per competency, using a simple situation, action, result structure.
- Practise reasoning out loud. The situational judgement exercise is spoken and reactive. When you explain what you would do, name who is affected, what is fair to each and how you would keep people safe and treat them with respect.
- Practise behaving the values in a group. In the group task, listening, including quieter people and disagreeing respectfully are visible evidence.
- Be accurate on the form. Integrity is also judged by whether what you declare matches what vetting finds.
Police Scotland vs England and Wales on values
| Police Scotland | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Competency and Values Framework for Police Scotland, modified with permission from the College's | College of Policing Competency and Values Framework |
| Competencies | The same six in three clusters | Six in three clusters |
| Values | Fairness, Integrity, Respect and Human Rights | The College's own set of values |
| Values question on the form | Yes, maximum 400 words | Depends on the force's application |
| Appointment | Declaration before a sheriff, summary sheriff or justice of the peace, including the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland | Attestation under the England and Wales rules |
More differences in Police Scotland vs England and Wales recruitment.
Terms you will meet
| Term | What it means here |
|---|---|
| CVF | Competency and Values Framework for Police Scotland: the values, six competencies and three levels used to assess you |
| Competency | One of the six behaviour areas, such as "We take ownership", each described at three levels |
| Level 1 | The CVF level for constables (and police staff grades 1 to 3) |
| Values | Fairness, Integrity, Respect and Human Rights |
| Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland | The code every new constable's declaration commits them to follow |
| Constable's declaration | The declaration under section 10 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, made before a sheriff, summary sheriff or justice of the peace; appointment takes effect only once it is made |
| Candour | Being open and truthful; one of the five words in the declaration alongside fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality |
| Schedule 1 | The part of the Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 that restricts constables' private lives, including no active part in politics |
| Regulation 5 | The rule requiring business interests to be notified; constables need consent to hold one |
| Situational Judgement Exercise (SJE) | The spoken, reactive assessment day exercise where assessors present unfolding scenarios and ask each candidate what they would consider and do |
| Group task | The 50-minute assessment day exercise: 10 minutes' reading, a 30-minute group discussion and briefing, then a 10-minute assessor Q&A |
Questions to ask at a recruitment event
Police Scotland runs recruitment events where its recruitment specialists answer questions. On values, these are the gaps our sources do not fill and worth asking about:
- Is the September 2020 CVF still the version used in recruitment?
- Where can I read the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland? Is it covered in initial training?
- How is the values question on the application used: is it scored or read alongside the statement?
- What do assessors most often see candidates miss in the group task and SJE?
- How do the values show up in the first two years of probation in response policing?
Write the answers down. They are first-hand preparation and they also show, in your statement, that you have done your homework.
What we could not verify
- The content of the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland, which we did not review for this guide.
- How the values are weighted or scored at the assessment day or in the values answer.
- Whether a newer version of the CVF than the September 2020 PDF is in use.
- Which competencies the four interview questions usually cover (Police Scotland names them only on the day).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Police Scotland's values?
Fairness, Integrity, Respect and Human Rights. They underpin Police Scotland's Competency and Values Framework (CVF) and appear in the values question on the application form.
What is the Police Scotland CVF?
The Competency and Values Framework for Police Scotland. Police Scotland describes it as modified with permission from the College of Policing framework. It keeps the same six competencies in three clusters but replaces the College's values with Police Scotland's own: integrity, fairness, respect and human rights.
What are the six Police Scotland competencies?
We are emotionally aware; We take ownership; We are collaborative; We deliver, support and inspire; We analyse critically; We are innovative and open-minded. They sit in three clusters: resolute, compassionate and committed; inclusive, enabling and visionary leadership; intelligent, creative and informed policing.
What CVF level is a constable?
Level 1. The CVF puts constables and police staff grades 1 to 3 at level 1; sergeants, inspectors, chief inspectors and staff grades 4 to 10 at level 2; superintendents, chief superintendents, executives and staff grades 11 to 14 at level 3.
What is the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland?
It is the code that every new constable's declaration commits them to follow, under section 10 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 as amended in June 2025. We have not reviewed the code's full contents for this guide, so read it on Police Scotland's website before your assessment day.
What does a new Police Scotland constable declare?
Appointment only takes effect once you make a declaration before a sheriff, summary sheriff or justice of the peace. Since June 2025 it commits you to discharge the duties of the office "with fairness, candour, integrity, diligence and impartiality", to follow the Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland and to "uphold fundamental human rights and accord equal respect to all people, according to law".
Are Police Scotland's values tested at the assessment day?
Yes. Police Scotland says all of the exercises are assessed against its CVF and all of the competencies and values are assessed throughout the assessment day.
Can Police Scotland officers be involved in politics?
Schedule 1 to the Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 says constables must avoid any activity likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of their duties, or to give that impression and in particular must not take any active part in politics.
Is the Police Scotland CVF the same as England and Wales?
The six competencies and three clusters are the same as the College of Policing framework, which Police Scotland's version is modified from. The values are different: Police Scotland uses integrity, fairness, respect and human rights.
How do I show the values in my application?
Answer the values question with a real example from your own life for each value, saying what you did. Make the rest of the form accurate and complete, because integrity is also judged by whether what you declare matches what vetting finds.
Does the PSET test Police Scotland's values?
No. The Police Scotland Entrance Test covers numeracy, literacy and information handling. Values are assessed through the application's values question and across the assessment day, which Police Scotland assesses against its CVF.
Do I need to name the values in the situational judgement exercise?
Police Scotland does not publish how the exercise is scored. What it does say is that you are asked about your considerations and intended course of action and that no policing, legal or procedural knowledge is required. Reasoning that covers fairness, honesty, respect and people's safety and dignity shows the values without having to name them.
Does a second job conflict with Police Scotland's rules?
Not automatically. Regulation 5 requires you to notify any business interest, which includes other employment for gain. Constables need consent to hold one.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 22 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.
- Police Scotland: Competency and Values Framework (PDF) : values (integrity, fairness, respect and human rights), six competencies in three clusters, modified with permission from the College of Policing framework, CVF levels (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland candidate portal: Police officer application example : the values question wording and 400-word maximum (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Our recruitment process (police officer) : all exercises assessed against the CVF; all competencies and values assessed throughout the assessment day (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland candidate portal: Police officer selection process : interview questions align to a named CVF competency (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland candidate portal: Police officer reasonable adjustments and support : no policing, legal or procedural knowledge required for the SJE (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, section 10, legislation.gov.uk : the constable's declaration, as amended in June 2025 (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 (SSI 2013/35), legislation.gov.uk : regulation 5 (business interests) and Schedule 1 (restrictions on private life) (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Service of Scotland (Promotion) Regulations 2013 (SSI 2013/39), as amended : promotion by selection after probation; context for CVF level 2 (accessed 22 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
More for applicants and Scottish officers
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority or the College of Policing. It does not recruit, test or assess applicants. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not official Police Scotland questions. Police Scotland sets and changes its own selection process, so check its recruitment pages and your candidate account before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 22 October 2026.