Police Staff
Interview Questions

If you have read about joining the police as a constable, put most of it aside. Constable recruitment in England and Wales follows a national process set by the College of Policing, with the National Sift and an assessment centre. Police staff recruitment has no national process. Each force designs its own, for each role, under its own recruitment policy.

What staff roles do share is a common vocabulary. Most forces write a role profile (or job description and person specification) with essential and desirable criteria, and many assess behaviour against the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework (CVF). The College says the CVF "describes the behaviours required by you, as a police officer or member of staff, to be effective in your role" and that it plays a significant role in the recruitment of officers and staff at every level. It is not compulsory: the College's guidance says forces do not have to use it as their framework.

The other big difference is employment status. Police staff are employees with contracts. For most forces in England and Wales, pay and conditions are negotiated nationally through the Police Staff Council (see below), but the Council does not set how people are selected. The result is a process that looks similar from force to force, with differences in the detail that matter on the day. Always read your force's own candidate information.

Not every role has every stage, and some roles add their own: control rooms test typing and listening (see our 999 call handler guide), and some specialist roles use an assessment centre before interview. The invitation to each stage normally tells you what to expect, and West Yorkshire attaches the vetting forms to the interview invitation so you can bring them on the day.

Two details from force policies are worth knowing. Norfolk and Suffolk's joint policy says shortlisting is done by two people and interview panels must have at least two people. And Thames Valley's recruitment advice says applications are shortlisted solely on the answers to the essential-criteria questions, so a strong CV does not make up for a weak answer on the form.

The role profile is the marking scheme. Devon and Cornwall says its shortlisting checks the "experience, specialist skills, knowledge and any qualifications essential for the role, as set out in the role profile or job description", and that interview questions "will be structured using the essential behavioural competencies listed on the role profile or the essential criteria on the job description".

Read it for four things:

1. Essential criteria. You must show each one. Norfolk and Suffolk's policy says a candidate who does not reach an acceptable score on any essential criterion is unsuitable, and that ties are broken on essential criteria before desirable ones.
2. Desirable criteria. Not required, but they separate candidates who meet the essentials.
3. The CVF level and named competencies. West Yorkshire tells candidates to study the CVF "at the level which is stated on the role profile". Devon and Cornwall's level 1 question sheet says questions are based on the listed competencies: a minimum of four plus one value, and a maximum of six with three values.
4. How each criterion is assessed. Many profiles have a column showing whether a criterion is tested at application, interview or by a test. That tells you where to put your best evidence.

Many staff applications ask you to give evidence against each essential criterion or competency in a box with a limit. Devon and Cornwall limits each answer to 2,500 characters including spaces. Northamptonshire's control room application has four competency questions, each scored out of five by two moderators. Some roles, such as Thames Valley's crime scene investigator advert, ask instead for a one-page cover letter and a CV of no more than two pages.

• Answer the criterion you are asked about, using its own words where natural, so the shortlister can see the match.
• Use one specific example per answer rather than a list of general claims.
• Say what you did. "I" not "we". Shortlisters cannot credit what your team did.
• Give the result, with numbers or outcomes where you have them.
• Write it offline first, check the character count, then paste it in. Forms time out.

Do not copy example answers from the internet. Shortlisters read a lot of applications and recognise borrowed wording, and an answer that is not about you cannot be backed up at interview.

The current CVF (first published by the College of Policing on 8 May 2024) has six competencies and three values. The values are courage, respect and empathy, and public service; the College says they are not split into levels "as everyone in policing is expected to display the same values regardless of their role or seniority". The competencies, with the names used in the earlier 2016 version that some force material still uses:

Each competency has three levels, which the College says are cumulative: level 1 practitioner, level 2 supervisor or middle manager, level 3 senior manager or executive. The College's guidance says levels "are not assigned to specific ranks", and its appendix maps level 1 to "Constable and equivalent, including equivalent police staff grades" and level 2 to "Police sergeant, inspector and equivalent police staff grades". In practice that means most staff roles without line management are assessed at level 1, and supervisory staff roles at level 2. The role profile tells you which.

The College publishes behavioural indicators for each competency at each level, written as "I" statements. One level 1 indicator for being emotionally aware, for example, reads: "I seek to understand and manage my own emotions to remain effective, even under pressure." Read the indicators for your level in the College's framework document; they are the clearest guide to what a panel will look for.

For more depth, our CVF explained guide covers each competency and value (it is written for officer candidates, but the framework is the same).

Forces set their own scoring scales, but they work in the same way: each answer is scored against the competency or criterion it was designed to test, and your scores decide whether you reach the standard.

• Devon and Cornwall and Dorset: "Each answer will be scored 0 to 5, 0 being no evidence through to 5 which is over and above."
• Metropolitan Police: its 2024 FOI answer says communications officer interviews were at CVF level 1, with "scores from 1 to 5 for each competency question".
• Norfolk and Suffolk: a candidate who does not achieve an "acceptable" score on any essential criterion is unsuitable; ties are broken on essential criteria first.

What earns marks is evidence. The College's CVF guidance says it is good practice for interviewers to ask about examples of past behaviour, probing for evidence, and that most of the interview should focus on past behaviour. It also warns that the CVF should not be used as a simple checklist. So panels are not counting keywords. They want to hear what you actually did in a real situation, and they will ask follow-up questions to test it.

A low score usually means one of three things: the example did not match the competency asked about, the answer described what a team did rather than what you did, or it stayed general ("I always try to...") instead of describing one real occasion.

• Competency (past behaviour) questions. "Tell us about a time when..." The core of most staff interviews. One real example, told in a structure, with your actions at the centre.
• Values questions. The College's guidance says candidates should show how they apply the three values as well as the competencies. Expect at least one question on courage, respect and empathy, or public service.
• Scenario questions. "What would you do if..." Some forces mix these in: Northamptonshire's control room interview has some questions based on scenarios. Answer with your reasoning and the steps you would take, and where you can, back it with a time you did something similar.
• Motivation and role knowledge. Why this force, why this role, what you know about the job and how you would cope with its demands (shifts, on-call, distressing material).
• Technical questions. For specialist roles: legislation and procedure for investigators, scene and evidence handling for CSIs, analytical methods for analysts. The role profile's essential knowledge criteria tell you what to revise.
• Presentations and exercises. West Yorkshire says you may be asked to prepare a presentation or complete an in-tray exercise, and Norfolk and Suffolk's policy allows work sample, scenario and written exercises. Leicestershire sends the presentation briefing in advance.

We did not find any force describing strengths-based interviews (questions about what you enjoy and do well, rather than past examples) for police staff, so we do not cover them here.

These questions are original PolicePay practice material, written to match the competencies and values in the CVF. They are not real or recalled questions from any force. Use them to check you have an example ready for each area your role profile names.

Practise answering out loud, not just in your head. Two to three minutes per answer is a sensible target; much shorter usually means not enough detail, much longer usually means the panel has lost the thread.

Forces suggest different labels for the same idea. Devon and Cornwall's guide recommends STAR: situation, task, action, result. Thames Valley's recruitment advice uses CARL: circumstances, action, result, learning. Use whichever your force mentions; if it mentions neither, STAR with a sentence of learning at the end covers both.

For more on structure and worked examples, see our STAR interview answers guide.

Here is an original example for "Tell us about a mistake you made at work. What did you do about it?" (we take ownership, level 1). It is invented to show the structure; your own example will be different, and should be.

Why it works: one specific occasion; the candidate's own actions and reasons; an honest admission; a result that can be checked; and learning that links to the role (in a control room or custody suite, reading back details is part of the job).

A values example: courage

Values questions trip people up because they sound abstract. They are answered the same way: one real occasion. An original example for "Tell us about a time you challenged behaviour you thought was wrong":

Note the honest cost ("cold with me for a few weeks"). Courage questions are more convincing when the answer admits that doing the right thing was not free.

The same question, answered weakly

This would score low on most scales. There is no single occasion, "we" hides what the candidate did, there is no detail a panel could probe, and the last sentence is an opinion about policing rather than evidence about the candidate.

The most reliable preparation is a written list of examples, mapped to what the role profile asks for. A simple way to do it:

1. List every competency, value and essential criterion from the role profile.
2. Brainstorm real situations from work, volunteering, study, caring or sport: times you dealt with conflict, made a mistake, helped someone, changed how something was done, worked to a deadline, handled upset people.
3. Match each situation to the competencies it shows best. One good example can serve two competencies, but have a different one ready for each in case a panel asks two related questions.
4. Write each example out in STAR or CARL form, then cut it to notes you could speak from.
5. Say each one out loud, timed. Two to three minutes is a good length.
6. Ask someone to play the panel and ask follow-up questions: "What did you say exactly?", "Why did you do that?", "What would you do differently?"

Recent examples are generally stronger than old ones, and work examples are useful because they are easiest for a panel to relate to the job. But the College's framework is about behaviour, not job history, so examples from outside work count if they show the behaviour clearly.

• In person or online. Many forces now interview online for some roles: Devon and Cornwall uses Teams for its contact officer interviews and Avon and Somerset was interviewing call handlers by online video when we checked. Test your camera, microphone and connection beforehand, and find a quiet room.
• Notes. Policies differ. Norfolk and Suffolk's lets candidates bring notes at the discretion of the panel chair, or as a reasonable adjustment. If you want to use notes, ask in advance rather than assuming.
• Paperwork. West Yorkshire attaches vetting forms to the interview invitation for you to bring. Bring any identity documents the invitation lists.
• Presentations. If you are set one, the brief will give a topic and a time limit. Keep to the time, answer the question in the brief rather than a neighbouring one, structure it as a clear opening, three or so points with evidence, and a conclusion, and expect questions on it afterwards. Leicestershire says it sends the presentation briefing with the invitation.
• Taking a moment. It is fine to pause before answering, or to ask for the question to be repeated. A considered answer scores better than a fast, unfocused one.

For what to wear and bring, see our interview dress code guide (written for officer candidates, but the practical points apply to staff interviews too).

If the role profile says CVF level 2, you are being assessed as a supervisor or middle manager. The College says the levels are cumulative, so level 2 builds on level 1 rather than replacing it. Its guidance maps level 2 to sergeants, inspectors and equivalent police staff grades.

In practice your examples need to move from your own work to your influence on other people's: setting direction for a team, developing and supporting individuals, handling performance or conduct issues, making decisions that affect a team, and working across departments or with partner agencies. A level 1 example about helping a new colleague becomes, at level 2, an example about how you organised induction for a team, or supported someone through a performance problem. Read the level 2 indicators in the College's framework for each competency your profile lists.

The CVF is the same for every role, but the examples panels hope to hear differ. Our summary of the emphasis for common staff roles, from the role profiles and adverts we read, with links to each role's recruitment guide:

Education requirements also differ by role. The College of Policing's professional profiles ask for education to level two or equivalent, or relevant experience, for a contact centre officer; level 6 (for example a degree) or equivalent analytical experience for an intelligence analyst; and specify no qualifications for a detention officer. Forces may set their own requirements on top, so check the advert.

The Police Staff Council is the national negotiating body for police staff pay and conditions in England and Wales. Its handbook says its principal role is to negotiate a national scheme of pay and conditions of service, and it has 14 members: seven from the employers and seven from the trade unions. The Local Government Association's FAQs say the handbook covers all police staff in England and Wales except those in the Met, British Transport Police, City of London Police, Thames Valley Police, Kent Police and Surrey Police.

For recruitment, its role is limited. The handbook does not set a selection procedure; it says employers should develop and practise the concept of equality of opportunity. It does set a default probation period, "not exceeding six months but may be extended in a particular case", and the national pay spine your grade will sit on (see police staff pay scales). Some forces set longer probation for particular roles; Nottinghamshire's call handlers, for example, have 12 months.

Why this matters at interview: when you are asked "Do you have any questions for us?", the useful ones are local. Which grade and spinal point is the post, and how does progression work? What is the probation period? What is the shift or on-call pattern and the allowance? What training will I get, and is there a minimum service commitment? These are all set locally even where the pay spine is national.

The College of Policing's CVF page says reasonable adjustments should always be made for people who have disabilities that affect their ability to demonstrate the competencies. Ask when you apply: Avon and Somerset asks for adjustment requests as part of the application. Norfolk and Suffolk's policy lets candidates bring notes into the interview at the discretion of the panel chair, or as a reasonable adjustment.

Under the government's Disability Confident scheme, employers commit to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job (GOV.UK says not every disabled person is entitled to an interview). Devon and Cornwall guarantees an interview if you meet the essential criteria and opt in. Norfolk and Suffolk's policy extends the same guarantee to Armed Forces applicants who meet the essential criteria.

• Results and feedback. Leicestershire says results come within five working days, with feedback from the panel, and appeals must be made within 14 days. Avon and Somerset says the panel chair will provide feedback if you ask within 14 days.
• Conditional offer and vetting. Recruitment vetting (RV) is the minimum level for police staff under the College of Policing's vetting guidance, and some roles need management or national security vetting. Most forces look for three years' UK residency immediately before you apply (five for management vetting). Thames Valley's advice says vetting takes a minimum of 30 working days. The statutory Vetting Code of Practice applies to staff and applicants.
• Convictions and cautions. Police staff posts are excepted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975, so spent convictions and cautions can be asked about. The College's vetting guidance says protected (filtered) matters should not be requested or taken into account for police staff. Some force pages tell candidates to declare everything, so follow the form's wording and read our staff vetting guide.
• References, medical and drugs testing. Norfolk and Suffolk ask for five years of references. Leicestershire adds a character reference, a sickness record review, an occupational health medical and a hair drug test. Devon and Cornwall applies its pre-employment drugs policy.

If you are not successful, take the feedback seriously and look at which competencies scored lowest. Better examples and clearer actions usually make the difference next time.

• Saying "we". The panel can only score what you did.
• Hypothetical answers to past-behaviour questions. "I would..." when the question asked "Tell us about a time..."
• The wrong example. A good story that shows a different competency from the one asked about.
• No result. Stopping at the action leaves the panel guessing.
• Not reading the role profile. Missing an essential criterion that was clearly listed.
• Not knowing the job. Especially shifts, on-call and distressing work. Panels look for realistic expectations.
• Memorised scripts. Follow-up questions quickly expose an answer that is not really yours.