Interactive Exercises for the Police Recruit Assessment Process

Succeeding at Role Plays

Richard Malthouse, Jodi Roffey-Barentsen, Peter Kennard

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781844452491
• eBook ISBN: 9781844454358
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Criminology
• Index: Social Sciences

This book focuses on the Interactive Exercise, which forms a key part of the Police Recruit Assessment Process. The role play (as the exercise is often referred to) is traditionally the part of the recruitment test that candidates worry about most and find particularly difficult. The book clearly explains the role play process, making links to the Core Competencies and in particular examining issues of diversity. It offers a number of Interactive Exercises in the form of candidate and role player instructions and provides guidance on the completed exercises.

Introduction to the
Interactive Exercises

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

• identify the seven core competencies;

• explain the purpose of an interactive exercise;

• describe what is involved in the preparation stage;

• describe what is involved in the activity stage;

• state the Magnificent Seven;

• distinguish between open and closed questions;

• state the component parts of TED PIE;

• identify the resources available to you;

• explain equal opportunity and diversity;

• list the six strands of diversity;

• recognise respect for diversity;

• identify when to challenge inappropriate behaviour;

• recognise the principles of reflective practice;

• engage in action planning;

• explain the SMART mnemonic;

• recognise how the interactive exercises are scored;

• list 20 tips for your interactive exercise.

Introduction

Interactive exercises, also referred to as role plays, are an important part of the Police and PCSO recruitment process and appear to be the thing candidates worry about the most. This is because most people never get to do one and, more importantly, they don’t actually know what to do; it is the fear of the unknown. This book takes away that fear. It concentrates on just the interactive exercises. It describes in detail how to prepare yourself mentally and physically; outlines the process and set tasks; offers interactive exercises for you to practise; and assists you in analysing the content.

What is an interactive exercise or role play exactly? It is a contrived situation in which people interact with each other and act out the role of specified characters. Frequently it is used to enable a person to understand another’s point of view or to behave in a way that is perhaps counter to their own values. However, within the context of the assessment centre it is used as a test to see how you are able to interact in given situations. The interactive exercise tests your ability to:

• communicate;

• ask open and closed questions appropriately;

• take control of situations;

• make decisions;

• take responsibility;

• be fair;

• be impartial;

• challenge inappropriate behaviour.

Ideally you will use this book with a friend or colleague, with this person taking on the role of the actor. However, it is still of value to work through the contents on your own. It is recognised that the assessors at the assessment centre are fully trained and this cannot be emulated by the person volunteering to take the part of the role actor for you. However, this is a necessary compromise and practising the experience can be very beneficial. Human nature may play a part in your wish to appear to do well in front of your friends, peers or members of your family. You may be tempted to take a peek at the suggested questions, so as not to lose face or appear silly. But you will gain far more from this book if you resist the temptation.

Remember, the process of learning means that you will make lots of mistakes. Learn from them and look at mistakes as learning opportunities.

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, Makes sure that customers are satisfied with the service they receive. It is observable and measurable and can be achieved by you by simply asking, Are you happy with what I am proposing or is there anything else I can assist you with?

When you are assessed, consideration will be given to what you do and how you do it. Assessors will watch you and give marks as you complete the exercises. They will consider your performance in relation to the seven core competencies. These are listed below along 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)

The purpose of an interactive exercise

The interactive exercise consists of placing you in a given situation where you are assessed on your ability to deal with it. It is designed to identify how you are able to read and understand written instructions and how you then interact, communicate and transact with others. It will test your ability to comprehend a situation and how you are able to adopt an appropriate response to it.

You will be dealing with just one role actor, although another person will be in the room to assess how you do. Occasionally, there may be two other people in the room, but they will be there for the purpose of ensuring that the marking is fair and consistent.

Prior to attending the assessment centre, you will be provided with a Centre Welcome Pack. You will be given the role of Customer Service Officer; your responsibilities are listed within this document and include:

• ensuring that the customers at the shopping centre are provided with a very high level of customer service; this is also provided to people visiting the centre;

• being given, to investigate and to sort out, complaints from discontented customers, visitors and staff working at the centre;

• producing accurate reports of incidents and events in writing;

• offering resolutions to problems;

• offering advice to staff and customers in respect of the shopping centre’s equal opportunities policy;

• maintaining safe working practices within the centre;

• offering a range of customer services to customers and visitors to the centre, such as:

• dealing with some of the more serious problems that may arise;

• helping Customer Service Assistants with various lost property;

• providing information;

• dealing with lost children and returning them to a responsible adult;

• liaising between the management and customers for all customer services-type problems.

(Adapted from National Policing Improvement Agency, 2007, p5)

It is recommended that you familiarise yourself with the contents of the pack prior to attending the assessment centre.

You will be given four interactive exercises; each is split into two five-minute parts, with a 90-second interval. The first part will be the preparation phase and the second, the activity stage, where you will meet a role actor. The scenarios occur within what is a typical shopping centre, which we will refer to as the Eastshire Shopping Centre.

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Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERACTIVE EXERCISES
• PART 2: INTERACTIVE EXERCISES
• Appendix A: Core competencies mapped against the Interactive Exercises
• Appendix B: National Core Competencies
• Index