Written Exercises for the Police Recruit Assessment Process

Richard Malthouse, Jodi Roffey-Barentsen

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781844452668
• eBook ISBN: 9781844454365
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Criminology
• Index: Social Sciences

This practical and accessible book focuses on the Written Exercise, which forms a key part of the Police Recruit Assessment Process. The book starts with an overview of the principles of completing a written exercise. It gives clear information on issues of grammar, spelling and punctuation, with examples of common mistakes and questions to check understanding. Full written exercises, in the form of candidate?s instructions and the various associated documents, provide essential practice and the intentions of each are explained, identifying the core competencies being tested.

Part 1

Preparing for the assessment

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OBJECTIVES

By the end of Part 1 you should be able to:

• identify the seven core competencies;
• explain the purpose of a written exercise;
• identify the four levels of competence;
• describe the process of the written exercise;
• recognise how to work wisely;
• recognise the mnemonic ICED;
• identify the general principles of written communication;
• explain the principles of spelling;
• explain the principles of punctuation;
• explain the principles of grammar;
• recognise the principles of reflective practice;
• engage in action planning;
• identify the SMART mnemonic;
• state the ten top tips for completing your written exercises.

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The seven core competencies

You will be assessed against competencies that are relevant to the role of a police officer. What is a competency? A competency is a statement of how something should be done or performed. For example, Supports arguments and recommendations effectively in writing. It is observable and measurable and can be achieved by ensuring you reflect the advice provided within this book.

When your written work is assessed, consideration will be given to what you have written and how you have written it. The assessors will consider your written work in relation to the seven core competencies. A list of the competencies is shown below with a brief explanation of each (Cox, 2007).

1. Respect for race and diversity	Considers and shows respect for the opinions, circumstances and feelings of colleagues and members of the public, no matter what their race, religion, position, background, circumstances, status or appearance.
2. Team working	Develops strong working relationships inside and outside the team to achieve common goals. Breaks down barriers between groups and involves others in discussions and decisions.
3. Community and customer focus	Focuses on the customer and provides high-quality service that is tailored to meet their individual needs. Understands the communities that are served and shows an active commitment to policing that reflects their needs and concerns.
4. Effective communication	Communicates ideas and information effectively, both verbally and in writing. Uses language and a style of communication that is appropriate to the situation and people being addressed. Makes sure that others understand what is going on.
5. Problem solving	Gathers information from a range of sources. Analyses information to identify problems and issues and makes effective decisions.
6. Personal responsibility	Takes personal responsibility for making things happen and achieving results. Displays motivation, commitment, perseverance and conscientiousness. Acts with a high degree of integrity.
7. Resilience	Shows resilience, even in difficult circumstances. Is prepared to make difficult decisions and has the confidence to see them through.

(Cox, 2007, p10)

For a full list of the positive and negative indicators associated with the National Core Competencies, see Appendix B.

The purpose of a written exercise

The purpose of the written exercises is to test your ability to communicate in writing. As a police officer you will be expected to record information accurately in a form that can be understood by others. Although information and communication technology (ICT) is gradually being introduced into the police service, there are occasions when your original notes are still written within a notebook, for example where an arrest has been made or an incident of note took place. Original notes are the record a police officer makes as soon as possible after an incident, during which time the details are still clear in his or her mind. These form the basis of a subsequent statement if a case is proceeded with to the appropriate court. This is often written many weeks or months after the original incident. Therefore, if the original notes are written poorly or certain words are illegible, mistakes could be made. A mistake made within the case papers can have the potential of losing a case. This is because it could throw an element of doubt on your honesty. A jury is reminded by the judge at the summing up stage of a case of what is referred to as the ‘burden of proof’. In effect, this means that, if they have any doubt as to the person’s guilt, they should find the accused not guilty.

When police officers take statements from witnesses, it is the practice that the officer records their account in paper form; therefore accuracy is paramount. Further, some reports, such as road traffic collision reports, are copied and forwarded to other interested parties; again it is essential that, as well as being accurate, the report is clear, coherent and comprehensive.

Other than making notes after an arrest, incident or collision, police officers are responsible for writing reports, replying to letters and recommending particular courses of action. For many of these, ICT is available, but a computer has its limitations. There are word...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction to the Written Exercises
• Part 1: Preparing for the Assessment
• Part 2: Written Exercises
• Part 3: Specimen Responses
• Appendix A: Answers to Part 1 tasks
• Appendix B: National Core Competencies
• Index