Police SJT practice.

Worked examples

Read the situation and decide how effective each response is before you open the answers. In our practice, each response is rated most effective, effective, ineffective or counterproductive.

1. Example 1 · We support and inspire

   You are a PCSO who joined the neighbourhood team six months ago. Your sergeant tells the team that a residents’ group has asked for a talk on preventing burglary next month, and asks who will prepare and give it. Nobody volunteers. You have never given a talk like this. Your colleague Ravi has given similar talks before, and the team has crime prevention leaflets. Your workload is manageable.

   1. ASay nothing, as a colleague with more experience would give a better talk than you.
   2. BSuggest Ravi gives the talk, as he has done it before, and offer to help him prepare.
   3. CVolunteer, ask Ravi for tips and go through your plan with the sergeant beforehand.
   4. DSay talks are not real police work and suggest the group is sent a link to advice online.
   Show the ratings and reasoning

   • A Ineffective
   • B Effective
   • C Most effective
   • D Counterproductive

   This tests We support and inspire: taking on challenging tasks to help improve the service and support colleagues, and sharing your positive commitment to policing, including its work to prevent crime.

   A (Ineffective): it avoids the risk of doing it badly, but the request is left unanswered and you miss a chance to develop. Someone else still has to pick it up.

   B (Effective): the residents are likely to get a good talk and you offer real help. But you put forward a colleague’s time rather than your own and pass up a challenge you could take on with support.

   C (Most effective): you take on a challenging task and use the experience in the team to do it well. Checking your plan with the sergeant means the residents get accurate, useful advice.

   D (Counterproductive): helping residents prevent crime is part of the service the police provide. Dismissing the request shows a negative attitude in front of the team and lets down people who asked for help.

2. Example 2 · We are emotionally aware

   You work on the front counter at a police station. A woman has waited 40 minutes to report that her handbag was stolen from a café table. Her purse, with her driving licence, and her house keys were inside. When you call her forward, she raises her voice, says nobody cares and tells you she is scared to go home in case the thief uses her keys. Several other people are waiting.

   1. AStart taking the details of the theft straight away, and ask about her worries over the keys once the report is done.
   2. BSay calmly that you can see she is worried, apologise for the wait, and deal first with her fears about her keys.
   3. CExplain that the station is very busy today and that the long wait is not something you have any control over.
   4. DTell her you won’t deal with her while she is shouting, and ask her to sit down until she feels calmer.
   Show the ratings and reasoning

   • A Effective
   • B Most effective
   • C Ineffective
   • D Counterproductive

   This tests We are emotionally aware: recognising that her raised voice comes from fear, staying calm, and adapting your approach to her emotional needs as well as to what she is reporting.

   A (Effective): getting on with the report is helpful and she isn’t kept waiting any longer. But leaving her main worry until the end misses what matters most to her, and she may stay too anxious to give a clear account.

   B (Most effective): acknowledging her fear and apologising for the wait should calm things down. Dealing first with what worries her most shows you understand her emotional needs and are adapting your approach to them.

   C (Ineffective): it may be true, but it is defensive. It does nothing to reassure her or move things on.

   D (Counterproductive): she is frightened, not abusive. Sending her away to wait again ignores her fear, makes her feel dismissed and is likely to make her more upset.

3. Example 3 · Respect and empathy

   You are a member of police staff in the communications team. You help run a local policing social media page, which has published rules saying that comments containing abuse or offensive language will be removed. A post about a recent operation has drawn 60 comments. Some praise the police and some criticise them politely. A few, on both sides, are abusive. A colleague says, “Just delete the negative ones.”

   1. ARemove the comments that break the page’s rules, whichever side they are on, and leave polite criticism up.
   2. BDelete the critical comments as your colleague suggests, as they could damage confidence in the operation.
   3. CTurn off comments on the post and delete all of them, so that nobody can say you took sides.
   4. DTell your colleague you will not delete polite criticism, and leave the abusive comments for your manager to decide on.
   Show the ratings and reasoning

   • A Most effective
   • B Counterproductive
   • C Ineffective
   • D Effective

   This tests Respect and empathy: giving people an equal opportunity to share their views, whether they support or criticise the police. Good looks like moderating against the published rules, not against the opinion being expressed.

   A (Most effective): the rules are applied consistently. Abuse is removed whoever posts it, and fair criticism stays up, which shows the police are open to challenge.

   B (Counterproductive): removing criticism because it is critical is taking sides. It looks like censorship, and people who notice will trust the police less.

   C (Ineffective): it treats everyone the same, but by silencing all of them. People who commented politely lose their say, and it can look as if the police are hiding from criticism.

   D (Effective): you refuse to remove fair criticism, which is right. But abusive comments stay up while you wait, so the page’s own rules are not being applied.

4. Example 4 · Courage

   Two weeks ago you took a report from Ms Carla Mendes, whose garden shed was broken into and a lawnmower stolen. There were no witnesses, no CCTV and no forensic evidence, so the case has been closed unless new information comes to light. She rings you, clearly annoyed, and asks why her case has been “dropped”.

   1. ATell her the decision was made by the investigations team, and give her their phone number so she can ask them.
   2. BTell her the case is still being looked into, so that she does not get more upset.
   3. CExplain in plain terms why it was closed, what could get it reopened and how to pass on new information.
   4. DTell her it was filed because there were no lines of enquiry, and that this is normal for this type of crime.
   Show the ratings and reasoning

   • A Ineffective
   • B Counterproductive
   • C Most effective
   • D Effective

   This tests Courage: being open about what has been done and why, and communicating decisions clearly and honestly, even when the news is not what the person wants to hear. Good looks like explaining the reasons in language she understands and telling her what could change the decision.

   A (Ineffective): it is not dishonest, but it passes her on without an explanation you could easily have given, and she is likely to feel fobbed off.

   B (Counterproductive): it is untrue. When she finds out the case was closed she will feel misled, and trust in you and the police will suffer far more than an honest answer would have caused.

   C (Most effective): she understands what happened and why, knows the case can be looked at again if something new turns up, and knows what to do if it does.

   D (Effective): it is honest and gives the reason, but the jargon may mean little to her, calling it normal can sound dismissive, and she is not told what could change the decision.

Five tips for the police SJT

1. People first. The best response usually deals with how the person is feeling and what they need, as well as the task.
2. Stay in your role. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, and don’t take on decisions that belong to someone else.
3. Be honest. Explaining a decision someone won’t like beats fobbing them off.
4. Involve the right people. Escalating to a supervisor is right when it’s needed, not as a way to avoid the problem.
5. Watch for counterproductive answers. Anything rude, dismissive, unfair or against procedure scores worst of all.