What the competency and values framework assesses

UK police recruitment uses the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework, assessing behaviours across areas including public service, professionalism, openness to change, and taking ownership, alongside core policing values such as integrity, impartiality, and public accountability. Interviews use structured, STAR-format questions tied directly to these specific named competencies.

Common competency areas and question themes

Expect questions probing how you have handled pressure and difficult situations calmly, examples of treating people fairly and without bias, and situations demonstrating honesty and integrity even when it was uncomfortable to do so. Questions around resilience and emotional composure under genuinely difficult circumstances are also common, given the nature of frontline policing work.

How to prepare

Review the College of Policing's published competency and values framework directly, and prepare a specific STAR example for each relevant competency area listed for the role and rank you are applying to. Reflect honestly on genuine examples of integrity, fairness, and composure under pressure from any part of your life, including work, education, or volunteering, since these do not need to come from a policing or security background specifically.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need prior experience in security or the forces to become a police officer?
No, the police service recruits from a genuinely wide range of backgrounds, and interviewers assess transferable evidence of the relevant competencies and values from any part of your life, not specifically security or armed forces experience.
How important is integrity specifically in police interviews?
Very important; given the position of public trust and authority involved in policing, questions and scenarios specifically probing honesty, fairness, and ethical judgement under pressure are a consistent and heavily weighted part of the process.