Welcome to Ashview:
Police Now’s virtual neighbourhood
What does it mean to be a Trainee Detective Constable? What’s involved in the day-to-day role? What traits will you need to drive positive change?
Ashview is a community created entirely to provide you with a unique and fully immersive experience of life as a Trainee Detective Constable. You won’t find Ashview on Google Maps, but you’ll get to experience our virtual neighbourhood first-hand as you take on the role of a Trainee Detective Constable during your National Detective Programme assessment centre experience.
You’ll get a snapshot of the role you can play in bringing about positive impact and change for vulnerable communities, as you experience a series of scenarios designed to give you the chance to showcase your character, mindset and skill for policing.
You should expect to be challenged and inspired in equal measure, regardless of your background and previous experience you will be supported every step of the way. At the end of the assessment centre, you’ll have a unique insight into the challenges and opportunities involved in the role of a Trainee Detective Constable.
What to expect?
The assessment centre will immerse you in the role of a detective for the day and you will complete various tasks typical to the role:
Interview
During your one-to-one interview, you’ll get the chance to tell us about your motivations for joining the Police Now and how you connect with our mission. As well as questions focused on how you might respond in certain situations you will experience on the programme.
Investigative report
You’ll produce a written report on an investigation. This activity focuses on reviewing resources, identifying trends, and suggesting next steps to progress the investigation.
Crime case interactions
You’ll play out real-life situations that you are likely to face as a Trainee Detective Constable on our National Detective Programme. You’ll interact with a suspect of crime and a member of the community who is concerned for the welfare of a victim. This is an opportunity to showcase your communication and problem-solving skills. You’ll have structured reflection time after each crime case to talk through thoughts on strengths and development areas.
Debrief
In this session you will be given the opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned during the assessment centre and talk openly about areas of positive performance and aspects you found challenging. We would encourage you to think about if you would do something differently next time.
What we’re looking for
We’re interested in how you think and respond in different scenarios, and your ability to reflect and learn from your experiences.
We’ll be looking at how you react to the challenges you’ll face, and how you respond in a fast-moving and ever-changing environment. We’ll also look at how you work collaboratively, your ability to interpret emotions, and how you learn and adapt throughout the assessment centre.
Remember, this is not a test of your current policing knowledge. We aren’t looking for specific answers. We are looking for your potential to become a Trainee Detective Constable by giving you the opportunity to experience what the role involves.
To ensure we recruit outstanding graduates who will thrive in their policing role, you’ll be assessed to see how aligned you are with Police Now’s mission, competencies, and values. We would recommend you spend time familiarizing yourself with these competencies and values ahead of the assessment centre.
Requesting adjustments
Police Now is dedicated to ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to perform at their best during the application process.
Ahead of the digital assessment centre you will be given the opportunity to share any adjustment you require, so we can put the right support in place. One of the adjustments we frequently make at assessment centre is extra time.
To discuss adjustments in confidence, please get in touch.
Hints and tips for completing the assessment centre
Strengths-based interview
- Take time before attending the digital assessment centre to research Police Now’s national graduate programmes and our mission.
- We suggest you also consider your motivations for wanting to be part of our programme and why you think you would make a good detective – the more you research, the more you’ll be able to convey your knowledge and passion for Police Now.
- We are looking for people that are enthusiastic and genuinely interested and connected with Police Now’s mission.
- You can offer examples when responding to questions, especially when those examples convey your strength and interest in the area. Examples can be from either your professional or personal life and if using them please be specific and include a good level of detail.
- Relax, listen carefully to the questions, and answer each question as naturally as you can – try not to overthink your answers as often your initial thoughts are your strongest!
Crime cases
- Although it’s a role play exercise, we are not looking for you to act; we are looking for you to be yourself. We want to see how you would deal with the situation.
- Use your planning time well – be clear on what you want to achieve in the time that you have and consider how you can plan the start, middle and end of your role play. To accomplish this;
- Think about how to establish rapport with individuals.
- Interact with them without judgement and remain impartial.
- Be prepared to ask follow-up questions to better understand what has happened.
- Make sure you showcase your communication and problem-solving skills.
- Be open-minded and willing to change your approach and move away from pre-prepared questions if new information is presented.
- Think of how you’ll go into each new scenario with a positive approach.
- Consider how you’ll bring each situation to an end, either having resolved this issue or having a clear idea on what your next steps will be.
- Lastly, try to enjoy the role play, for many people it is a new experience.
Investigative report
- Read all the information and instructions you are given very carefully and ensure you know what is required of you.
- Plan your written response and the points you want to make before going into detail.
- Ensure you include as much detail, and reasoning in your written response. Consider the importance of drawing conclusions from the trends they identify and use examples where possible to back up any points you make.
- Provide clear rationale for your recommendations. We are looking for your ideas and next steps related to the information provided to you.
Debrief
- Expect to reflect on your day. You’ll be put in a number of unfamiliar situations and your assessment centre experience will be mentally and emotionally challenging. It’s important you know how to decompress, organise your thoughts and process your emotions.
- We’re interested in your ability to be self-aware, to draw positive lessons from the situations you experience and to see how you can use your experiences to improve and develop your own knowledge.
- Take notes, and take the time to reflect on your experience, what works, what doesn’t and what you might do differently in the future.
What will happen afterwards?
We’ll be in touch within ten working days to let you know your outcome and to provide personalised feedback on your performance, related to the competencies you have been assessed against.
If you are successful, your dedicated Recruitment Officer will contact you directly and give you a run-through of what to expect during the onboarding process. They will be your main point of contact and will guide you to complete your pre-employment checks i.e. your fitness test, medical, vetting, biometrics and substance misuse test.
Do you need to chat to someone about the assessment centre?
Our team are happy to support you with any guidance or technical queries ahead of or during the digital assessment centre.
