We Support
and Inspire
The police competency that sounds like management but is not: what it means at level 1, eight practice questions for candidates with no leadership experience, an example structure and how it shows in the OAC written exercise.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
It means understanding how your work serves the purpose of policing, working conscientiously, taking on challenges, removing obstacles to good service and helping others succeed. The College says it is not restricted to managers. In the online assessment it is assessed in the written exercise; the national sift covers it too.
For police candidates in England and Wales. Descriptions paraphrase the College of Policing's 2024 framework at level 1. Questions and the example are PolicePay's own practice material.
What 'we support and inspire' means at level 1
Our paraphrase of the 2024 framework at level 1:
- sharing your commitment to policing and its values;
- understanding how your work contributes to the purpose of policing and your force's priorities;
- working conscientiously and removing obstacles to good service;
- taking on challenging tasks;
- using resources efficiently.
Higher levels add helping others through change, managing resources and setting direction.
Why it is not just for managers
The College's framework says this competency is not restricted to managers: everyone contributes to a climate of respect and support, including through coaching and mentoring. The 2016 name, "we deliver, support and inspire", made the delivery part clearer. For a candidate, evidence usually comes from being someone others can rely on and from helping people around you do well.
Where it is assessed
| Stage | Assessed? |
|---|---|
| National sift: SJT and BSQ | Yes, both cover the six competencies |
| OAC: competency-based interview | Not on the College's list |
| OAC: written exercise | Yes |
| OAC: briefing exercise | Not on the College's list |
| Force interview | Depends on the force |
8 practice questions and what they test
| Question | What it is looking for |
|---|---|
| Tell us about a time you took on a challenging task because it mattered to the people you served. | Taking on challenging work; commitment to the purpose. |
| Describe a time you removed an obstacle that was getting in the way of good service. | Removing obstacles to good service. |
| Tell us about a time you helped someone else achieve something. | Helping others meet their objectives. |
| Give an example of when you made better use of limited time or resources. | Using resources efficiently. |
| Tell us about a time you understood how your work fitted a bigger goal and acted on it. | Understanding how your work contributes. |
| How would you keep yourself motivated during a long, repetitive task that matters? | A future-focused question: conscientious work. |
| Describe a time you encouraged someone who was losing confidence. | Supporting and inspiring without being a manager. |
| Tell us about a time you set a good example for others. | Sharing your commitment to the values. |
Try one out loud. Answer a practice question free and get a scored result in about a minute. No account. Practise in the free police mock interview
An example answer structure
Question: "Describe a time you removed an obstacle that was getting in the way of good service."
Situation: At a leisure centre, new staff kept giving members wrong information about class bookings because the guidance was spread across old emails.
Task: I was not a supervisor, but members were being turned away and colleagues were stressed.
Action: I gathered the rules into one page, checked it with the duty manager, put it by the till and offered to talk new starters through it on their first shift.
Result: Booking complaints dropped and the manager added the page to induction. I learned that small fixes can make others' jobs easier.
How it shows in the written exercise
The College says the written exercise is an urgent task for your line manager. Support and inspire shows in how useful your response is to them and the people they serve:
- a clear answer to each question they asked, in the order they asked it;
- practical recommendations they can take into a meeting;
- offering to take on tasks yourself, such as contacting a complainant;
- linking the plan to a better service for the community.
Interview and assessment centre updates
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Free drill for the written exercise
A useful response starts with an accurate reading of the items. Practise it here:
Free drill: spot the gaps
Anti-social behaviour at Station Road car park
For each statement, choose what the items say about it.
1. The car park barrier has not been in place since March.
2. The noise happens every night.
3. The noise continues until 2am.
4. The drivers are mostly young men from outside the area.
5. There have been 6 calls in 4 weeks.
6. CCTV could identify cars inside the car park.
7. The resident has complained five times.
8. Replacing the barrier would stop the problem.
More in we analyse critically.
Common mistakes
- Assuming you need a management example.
- Describing hard work without saying who it helped.
- In the written exercise: a response the line manager would have to rewrite before using.
The College says notes or scripts prepared before the online assessment may result in automatic failure.
Level 1 compared with levels 2 and 3
Seeing the higher levels makes clear what level 1 does not ask of you. Our paraphrase of the College's 2024 framework:
| Level | Who it is for | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (assessed in recruitment) | Practitioners, including new constables | Commitment to policing and its values; understanding how your work fits the force's priorities; conscientious work; removing obstacles to good service; taking on challenging tasks; using resources efficiently. |
| Level 2 | Supervisors and middle managers | Helping others understand aims and change; managing resources in an area; making people feel safe to raise concerns; coaching, mentoring and feedback. |
| Level 3 | Senior managers and executives | Setting a compelling direction; linking vision to plans; long-term strategic thinking; removing barriers across the organisation. |
The levels are cumulative, so a sergeant still needs level 1 behaviours. For a candidate, a level 1 example done well is better than a stretched attempt at level 3.
Weak and strong evidence, side by side
| Weak | Stronger | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "I always work hard." | "I stayed to finish the handover notes so the night team had what they needed." | A specific action and who it helped. |
| "I am a natural leader." | "I showed the new starter how to use the booking system and checked in with her the next week." | Support for someone else at level 1, not a label. |
| "We improved the process." | "I listed the three steps that caused the delay and asked my manager if I could try removing one." | Your own part, made clear with "I". |
| "I took on extra work." | "I volunteered for the stock count nobody wanted because the shop could not reopen without it." | Shows why the challenge mattered to the service. |
| "I saved the company money." | "I noticed we reordered paper every week and suggested a monthly order, which my manager agreed." | Efficient use of resources, with a concrete change. |
| "Everyone was happy." | "Two customers who had complained before wrote to say the new process was easier." | Evidence of the result, not an assumption. |
The stronger lines are illustrations written by PolicePay, not model answers.
A second example: a future-focused question
Since July 2026 the College's online assessment guide says interview questions may ask how you would deal with a situation in future. Force interviews often do the same. Question: "How would you keep yourself motivated during a long, repetitive task that matters?" An illustrative outline:
- Say what you would do first. "I would remind myself who the task is for: if it is house-to-house enquiries, each door could be the one with the witness."
- Break it down. "I would split it into blocks with a clear finish point for each, so I can see progress."
- Keep standards up. "I would check my records at the end of each block, because mistakes creep in when work is repetitive."
- Support others. "If colleagues were doing the same, I would share anything that made it quicker."
- Back it with evidence. "When I worked on the summer stock audit, I used the same approach and we finished a day early with no recount needed."
The pattern: what you would do and why, then a short real example that shows you have done it before.
Follow-up questions a force panel might ask
The online interview has no live follow-ups, but force interviews often do. Forces set their own questions; these are the kinds of probes worth practising:
| Follow-up | What it is probing |
|---|---|
| Why did that matter to the people you served? | Understanding the purpose behind the work |
| What did you do when it got difficult? | Persistence with a challenging task |
| How did your colleague respond to your help? | Whether the support actually helped |
| What would you do differently? | Reflection |
| How did you know it had worked? | Evidence of the result |
| Who else could have done it and why did you? | Ownership and initiative within your role |
See police interview follow-up questions for more on how panels probe.
A written exercise extract, annotated
An invented mini-task: your sergeant asks for a short response before a meeting with a supermarket manager about repeated shoplifting reports and staff who feel unsupported. One paragraph of a response and why it shows support and inspire:
"For tomorrow's meeting I suggest three points. First, staff say they do not know whether reports are followed up (Item B); I can attend the next staff briefing to explain what happens after a report. Second, the store's own log (Item C) shows most incidents between 4pm and 6pm, which could guide when we visit. Third, I would ask the manager what support staff need after an incident, because Item D says two have asked to move stores. I can contact the manager on Friday to agree a date."
- It gives the sergeant points they can use straight away.
- It offers to take on tasks (the briefing, the follow-up call).
- It links the plan to a better service for staff and the community.
- It refers to the items and adds no invented facts.
Evidence checklist for this competency
Before an interview, check you have at least one real example for each:
- a challenging task you took on because it mattered to others;
- an obstacle you removed so people got a better service;
- a time you helped a colleague, classmate or volunteer succeed;
- a time you used time, money or materials more efficiently;
- a time you understood how your work fitted a bigger goal;
- a long or repetitive job you finished conscientiously;
- a time you set a good example for others;
- a result you can describe with evidence, not just a feeling.
Map them against every CVF area with the free example bank builder.
A seven-day practice plan
| Day | Task (about 30 minutes) |
|---|---|
| 1 | List eight experiences and tick the checklist above. |
| 2 | Answer two questions from the table out loud; record and listen back. |
| 3 | Spot the gaps drill, then write one paragraph for a line manager. |
| 4 | Answer the future-focused question and back it with a real example. |
| 5 | Practise three follow-ups on your best example. |
| 6 | A free scored answer in the mock interview. |
| 7 | Rest; reread your weakest example and fix one gap. |
What we could not verify
- How assessors weigh this competency in the written exercise.
- Which forces use it in their in-person interviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'we support and inspire' mean in the police CVF?
It is one of the six competencies in the College of Policing's 2024 framework: understanding how your work contributes to the purpose of policing, working conscientiously, removing obstacles to good service, taking on challenges, using resources well and helping others meet their objectives.
Is 'we support and inspire' only for managers?
No. The College's framework says it is not restricted to managers: everyone contributes, including through helping colleagues, coaching and mentoring. At level 1 it is mostly about your own conscientious work and support for others.
What was 'we support and inspire' called before?
In the 2016 framework it was 'we deliver, support and inspire'. The 2024 framework shortened the name and rewrote the behaviours.
Where is 'we support and inspire' assessed?
In the online assessment process, the College lists it as one of the four areas the written exercise assesses. The national sift also covers it. It is not on the College's list for the online interview or the briefing exercise.
How do I show 'we support and inspire' in the written exercise?
Give your line manager a clear, usable response, offer to take on tasks yourself and show how your recommendations improve the service to the people affected. The task is written for your line manager, so make their job easier.
What is a good 'support and inspire' example without leadership experience?
A time you took on a hard task because it mattered, helped a colleague or classmate succeed, removed a barrier that was slowing others down, or kept going conscientiously on work that served other people.
What questions do police ask about supporting others?
Typical questions ask about a time you helped a colleague succeed, took on a challenging task because it mattered, removed an obstacle to good service or used resources more efficiently. Force panels may follow up on why it mattered and how you knew it worked.
How long should a 'support and inspire' answer be?
In a force interview, the force sets the format. In the online assessment this competency is not on the interview list; it is assessed in the written exercise, which the College expects to take about 40 minutes with a two-hour limit.
Can I use an example from volunteering or sport?
Yes. The College says examples from work and personal life are fine. Coaching a junior team, helping run a community event or supporting a fellow volunteer can all show this competency at level 1.
What is the difference between 'we support and inspire' and 'we collaborate'?
Collaboration is about working with other people and organisations to get things done. Support and inspire is about conscientious work for the purpose of policing and helping others do their best. One example can show both, but the emphasis differs.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 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: Competency and values framework : we support and inspire as a 2024 competency (formerly we deliver, support and inspire); not restricted to managers (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Online assessment process candidate guide (updated 21 July 2026) : assessed in the written exercise; task written for your line manager; level 1 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: National sift candidate guidance (May 2026 PDF; page updated 1 June 2026) : SJT and BSQ cover the six competencies (accessed 21 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 21 October 2026.