thinking about joining the police force

On his or her duty, a police officer may encounter any number of dangerous or challenging situations. This is why the police force must ensure that every new recruit has the skills to act with authority, calmness and to execute good judgement, even under the most unbearable amounts of pressure. The police role play is designed to sort out those that can perform under pressure as only these applicants can be accepted into the police force.

The police role play test itself is made up of four exercises in which you will have to demonstrate your ability to perform the roles of a police officer. They are all split into two parts; the first lasts five minutes and is a preparation phase; the second is the activity phase in which the police role play takes place. There is no need to understand the law in these role play scenarios but the qualities and skills of a good police officer have to be demonstrated. An example role play might be an angry customer in a store.

During the role play, it is important to demonstrate that you have the qualities and skills that would make you an excellent police officer. These are often referred to as the core competencies and you must display these in abundance.

It is important that notes are made and that the scenario is understood during the five minutes before the role play begins. Reading all information is critical. It is equally important to compose yourself and try to relax; you need to demonstrate that you can work under pressure and thus you can remain well composed. Most people fail on this due to nerves and police officers cannot show nerves in their duties. Preparation is everything and those that pass with flying colours have read all information available to them and utilised it in their preparation.

For those that are serious about passing, there are practice role plays available and this is a good idea if one wants to appear fully prepared in front of the examiners. If you come prepared then your nerves will be less noticeable and you will look more impressive. You must remember to show off the core competences and you will appear far more in control of the situation. Nerves can get the better of anybody and thus preparation can help immensely.

The police role play is designed to find out who can put their skills to good use. It tests the ability to keep calm, act with authority and to keep in control of a situation. Real life police officers have to display such qualities every day whilst carrying out their duties.

The police role play may seem difficult and will probably be a very nervous experience. However, with the correct level of preparation and attention to detail, it can be overcome and you can demonstrate how you would make an excellent officer of the law. It can be over so very quickly and is one of the most important parts of the police recruitment process.