What Would You Do If
Police Scenario Interview Questions
Some police interviews ask what you would do in a situation rather than what you have done. This page explains where those questions come up in police recruitment in England and Wales, gives a simple order for answering them, lists 18 original practice scenarios by CVF value and works through two example answers.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 20 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Say what you would actually do, in order: make sure nobody is at risk, work out what you know and need to find out, weigh two or three realistic options, choose one and say why, say who you would involve and what you would record, then how you would check it worked. No police knowledge is needed. Mention a real time you did something similar if you have one.
What scenario questions are
A scenario question, also called a hypothetical or future-focused question, describes a situation and asks what you would do. It is the opposite of a past-behaviour question ("tell me about a time"), which asks for a real example. The College of Policing's 2024 CVF guidance says interview questions should mostly be about past behaviour, with hypothetical questions used sometimes.
Scenario questions test the same things as past-behaviour ones: the three values (courage, respect and empathy, public service) and the competencies, especially how you weigh up a situation. The difference is that the panel hears your reasoning rather than your track record, so the order and quality of your thinking matter more than the story.
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
Where you will meet scenario questions
| Stage | Scenario questions? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| National sift: situational judgement test | Yes, as multiple choice | You rate how effective given responses are. No policing knowledge needed. See our free SJT practice. |
| OAC: competency-based interview | Not as a rule | The College's guide and the joiningthepolice sample describe questions asking for real examples. Expect past-behaviour questions. |
| OAC: briefing exercise | Yes, as a written scenario | You read a scenario and answer spoken questions about what you would do. It is a separate exercise from the interview. |
| In-person force interview | Sometimes | Derbyshire's guide describes future-focused questions (what you would do in a scenario) alongside past-focused and motivation questions. Each force decides. |
| PCSO, special and police staff interviews | Sometimes | Set by each force. Call handler and detention officer interviews often include practical scenarios. |
So for most constable candidates the scenario practice that matters most is for the national sift, the OAC briefing exercise and possibly the force interview. The OAC interview itself is where you need real examples: see "tell me about a time" police interview questions.
A simple order for answering
This order is our suggestion. It follows the same logic as the College's National Decision Model (information, risk, powers and policy, options, action and review, with ethics at the centre), but you do not need to name the model or know police powers. Answer as the person you are now.
| Step | What to cover | How it can sound |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Safety and the vulnerable first | Who could be hurt and does anyone need help now? | "My first concern would be whether anyone was at risk, starting with..." |
| 2. What you know and what you need to find out | Facts versus assumptions. Who you would ask. | "Before deciding, I would want to know... so I would ask..." |
| 3. Your options | Two or three realistic choices, within your role. | "I could... or I could... " |
| 4. What you would do and why | Your choice and the reason, including fairness and honesty. | "I would... because..." |
| 5. Who you would involve or tell | A supervisor, a colleague, a specialist service, a record. | "I would let my supervisor know and make a note of..." |
| 6. How you would check it worked | Follow-up and learning. | "Afterwards I would check... and if it had not worked I would..." |
| 7. A real time you did something similar (optional, brief) | Evidence that you have done it before. | "I did something similar when..." |
If the scenario puts you in your current life (at work, in a team), answer as you would there. If it puts you in a policing role, do not invent powers: say you would follow guidance, ask your supervisor or tutor and record what you did. Panels are listening for judgement, not legal knowledge.
18 practice scenarios by value
These scenarios are written by PolicePay for practice. They are not real interview questions. "What a strong answer covers" is our suggestion. Each one links to a matching past-behaviour question in the mock interview, so you can practise the same value with a real example and get a free score.
- Respect and empathy A member of the public is shouting at you because they have waited hours for help. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Stay calm, acknowledge the feeling, explain honestly what you can and cannot do and find out what they need. Practise the matching question
- Respect and empathy You notice a colleague making jokes about a person's accent behind their back. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Respect for the person, a private word, why it matters for trust and escalating if it continues. Practise the matching question
- Respect and empathy An older person who is confused keeps calling you about the same problem. How would you handle it? A strong answer covers: Patience, checking for vulnerability, adapting how you communicate and linking them to the right support. Practise the matching question
- Respect and empathy A witness does not want to talk to you because they distrust the police. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Listening, explaining why it matters without pressure, respecting their choice and safety. Practise the matching question
- Respect and empathy Someone you need information from speaks little English. How would you communicate? A strong answer covers: Not assuming, checking understanding, using the right interpreter or support and patience. Practise the matching question
- Respect and empathy A team member seems withdrawn and is making mistakes. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Noticing, a private supportive conversation, practical help and when to involve a supervisor. Practise the matching question
- Courage You see a colleague take a small item from a shop without paying. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Honesty over loyalty, speaking up, reporting it through the right route and why standards matter. Practise the matching question
- Courage You realise you made an error in a record you handed in yesterday. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Owning it straight away, correcting the record openly and telling the right person. Practise the matching question
- Courage A more senior colleague asks you to leave something out of a report. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Refusing politely, explaining why accurate records matter and escalating if pressed. Practise the matching question
- Courage Your team wants to take a shortcut that would put someone at risk. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Saying no when it is unpopular, explaining the risk and offering a safer way. Practise the matching question
- Courage You must make a decision quickly and do not have all the facts. How would you decide? A strong answer covers: What you know, the risks, a proportionate choice, recording your reasons and reviewing it. Practise the matching question
- Courage A friend asks you to look someone up for them once you are an officer. What would you say? A strong answer covers: A clear no, why misuse of information is wrong and honesty about the boundary. Practise the matching question
- Public service You are dealing with a minor job when an urgent call for help comes in nearby. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Prioritising by risk, handing over or pausing safely and explaining to the person you leave. Practise the matching question
- Public service A neighbourhood keeps reporting the same problem and nothing changes. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Listening to the community, finding the cause, working with others and checking it improves. Practise the matching question
- Public service Your shift is ending but a vulnerable person still needs help. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Not leaving them unsupported, a proper handover and putting their needs first. Practise the matching question
- Public service You notice a process at work that wastes the public's time. What would you do? A strong answer covers: Raising it constructively, suggesting a better way and working within the rules. Practise the matching question
- Public service A member of the public complains about how you treated them. How would you respond? A strong answer covers: Listening without defensiveness, being honest, putting it right where you can and learning. Practise the matching question
- Public service You have three urgent tasks and time for one. How would you decide? A strong answer covers: Risk and harm first, what can wait, telling people and getting help. Practise the matching question
Two worked example answers
These answers were written by PolicePay to show the order and level of detail. They are not model answers from any assessment and not scripts. Answer in your own words.
Scenario: a colleague jokes about a person's accent behind their back
"My first concern would be the person being talked about and whether they or anyone else had heard it, because comments like that damage trust. I would want to know if this was a one-off or a pattern, so I would think about whether I had heard it before. I could ignore it, challenge it in front of everyone, or speak to my colleague privately. I would speak to them privately and soon, say plainly that the comment was not acceptable and why and ask them to stop. I would not make it a public argument, because that tends to make people defensive. If it carried on, or if the person affected had heard it, I would tell my supervisor and make a note of what was said and when. Afterwards I would check how the person was and keep an eye on whether it stopped. I did something similar at work when a colleague mocked a customer's stammer: a private word worked and he apologised to her."
What it does: puts the affected person first, weighs options, chooses a proportionate one with a reason, says when it would escalate and ends with a short real example.
Scenario: your shift is ending but a vulnerable person still needs help
"I would not just leave. First I would make sure they were safe right now and understand what they still needed. Then I would decide whether I could finish it in a reasonable time or needed to hand over. If I needed to hand over, I would tell my supervisor, brief the next person properly with everything I knew, introduce them to the person if I could and write it down so nothing was lost. I would explain to the person what was happening and who would help them next, so they did not feel dropped. Before I went, I would check the handover had actually happened. Going home late now and then is part of putting the public first."
What it does: shows public service and respect for the person together, gives a realistic plan rather than heroics and closes the loop.
Mistakes that lose marks on scenario questions
- Jumping to the dramatic option. "I would arrest them" or "I would report them straight away" without any reasoning sounds rash.
- Forgetting the vulnerable person. Many scenarios hide someone at risk. Deal with them first.
- Passing everything to a manager. Involving a supervisor is often right, but say what you would do yourself first and why you would escalate.
- Claiming knowledge you do not have. Nobody expects you to know police powers. Guessing at them can raise doubts.
- Giving a list of buzzwords. "I would show courage and integrity" says nothing about what you would do.
- Ignoring honesty. Any answer that involves covering up, bending a record or "letting it go this once" is likely to count against you.
How to practise
- Read a scenario, take 60 seconds to jot the seven steps, then answer out loud without looking.
- Ask a friend to read you a scenario you have not seen, then to ask "why?" after your answer. See follow-up questions for what a panel may ask.
- Practise the matching past-behaviour question in the free police mock interview (in-person mode), so you have a real example ready to mention.
- For the national sift, use the free SJT practice; for the OAC, the briefing exercise examples.
- Serving officers preparing for a board: the promotion board set includes forward-facing questions, judged at CVF level 2.
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What we could not verify
- How many forces use scenario questions in their in-person interview. Derbyshire's guide describes them; other forces' guides we read do not say. Ask your force.
- Whether any OAC interview question is hypothetical. The College's guide describes questions asking for examples; it does not rule hypotheticals out in every case.
- How scenario answers are marked. No force we read publishes its marking.
PolicePay is independent of the College of Policing, the Home Office and every police force. Sources were read on 20 October 2026. The scenarios and example answers are our own. Your force's instructions take priority over anything here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do police interviews ask "what would you do if" questions?
Sometimes. The College of Policing's CVF guidance says interview questions should mostly be about past behaviour, with hypothetical questions sometimes used. Derbyshire Constabulary's in-force interview guide describes future-focused questions alongside past-focused and motivation questions. The College's online assessment interview asks for real examples, while its briefing exercise and the national sift's situational judgement test use scenarios.
How do I answer a hypothetical police interview question?
Answer what you would actually do, in order: deal with safety and anyone vulnerable first, say what you know and what you would find out, give your options, choose one and explain why, say who you would involve and what you would record and how you would check it worked. If you have done something similar, mention it briefly.
Do I need to know police powers or law?
No. Constable recruitment does not expect policing knowledge and the College says its assessments need none. Answer as the person you are now, using common sense, fairness and honesty. Do not claim powers you do not have.
Should I mention the National Decision Model?
You do not need to. The National Decision Model is the College's framework for police decision-making and its order (information, risk, powers and policy, options, action and review, with ethics at the centre) is a sensible way to think. But naming it adds nothing if your answer does not show the thinking. Devon and Cornwall's guide warns that buzzwords do not score.
Is there a right answer to scenario questions?
There is rarely one right action, but there are clearly wrong ones: ignoring risk to someone vulnerable, covering up dishonesty, or acting outside your role. Panels are usually listening for your reasoning, fairness and honesty, not a single expected answer.
Can I practise scenario questions in the mock interview?
The PolicePay mock interview's main bank uses past-behaviour questions, because those are what the online assessment interview asks. Each scenario on this page links to the matching past-behaviour question, so you practise the same value with a real example. Serving officers can use the promotion board set, which includes forward-facing questions.
How long should my answer to a scenario question be?
Force interviews set their own timings, so check your invitation. A clear answer usually covers your priorities, your choice and your reasons and who you would involve, in a couple of minutes. Do not pad it; panels can ask follow-up questions.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 20 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 guidance 2024 (PDF) : interviews should mostly ask about past behaviour, with hypothetical questions sometimes used (accessed 20 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Online assessment process candidate guide (updated 21 July 2026) : the interview asks for examples; the briefing exercise is scenario-based; no policing knowledge needed (accessed 20 October 2026)
- College of Policing: National sift candidate guidance (updated 1 June 2026) : the situational judgement test presents scenarios and assesses the six competencies (accessed 20 October 2026)
- College of Policing: National Decision Model (APP) : the five-stage decision model with the Code of Ethics at its centre (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Derbyshire Constabulary: In-force interview preparation guide (2022, PDF) : past-focused, future-focused and exploratory questions in one force's interview; follow-up questions (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Devon and Cornwall Police: Force interviews, CVF preparation guide (2024, PDF) : buzzwords do not score; answer the question asked (accessed 20 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 20 October 2026.