As if to prove what I am always saying, the new police assessment exercises that came in on Nov 1st 2009 and will run until the last day of April 2010 are again biased heavily towards dealing with diversity issues. I was discussing this with a contact who is involved in recruitment in Cheshire. Whilst it is arguably as to what extent ones ability to be a good police officer is tested, there is a obvious run on diversity issues. In three of the four role plays, there are elementsof either sexuality or race issues to be dealt with. And yet oddly enough, the two new written exercises deal with issues that could have been written to give existing specials and CSO’s an unfair advantage in the process. This is because they deal with such things as disorder and operational tactics that any police trained candidate would have  a good head start on. The interview questions are okay as far as it goes.

The morla of the story is to clearly understand how to deal with diversity. If you do not know how to challenge effectively, the way the police want you to, as opposed to the way you think it should be done, you will be dead. And ironically, this will catch out many specials and CSO’s who would normally have been expected to go through. The police culture is in some ways quite bullying, if you offend the establishment! Where existing specials and CSO’s go wrong is that they know that the senior force management will brush off uncomfortable truths regarding issues, and bury them. So, in assessment, they often try to do the same, and are failed by the same people who in a few months time, had they been successful, would have been telling them to bend the rules over detections or response figures!

The new police assessment exercises would suit diversity advisers better than police officers, but nevertheless, to pass, you need to understand all about diversity, the police way!

We have of course altered the emphasis of our course to reflect this new shift in the police assessment exercises.

Found out that the Northumbria police assessmenst are the first week in january today, so have moved the course we had planned for January forward to acommodate this. Alreday had a fair few bookings for it, so if you want to attend, please book as soon as. We normally have good group numbers in Newcastle, and they normally as a force have a good few people passing. Like quite  afew forces, if this happens this time, you could well find like Gwent or Avon and Somerset that they will just take the highest scores.

Linked in with that, I had a conversation with a PCSO from Gwent a few weeks ago, who was confident that he did not need a course like ours as his background as a CSO would be all he needed. I pointed out that if that were the case, he ought to consider two key points.

1. If that were true, then why did he know loads of cso’s who had tried and failed before to get in (and the same goes of course for Special Constables). Secondly, if the police background was such a huge help, then all the other CSO/Specials would also have the same advantage, and the force could not have enough vacancies to possibly fit them all in.

he didn’t believe me, but after another call this week assures me he will be coming on a course for his next application having failed!

had he come with us, he would probably have been in by now!

Regards

John

Just a note for those of you going for the Gwent police assessment centre in December. We have put on a course in Cardiff to have a venue in Wales. However, we will only have a small number of places on it as we have other commitments the same day. If you want a place on this, book early.

All recieved this week:

Hey John!!!

Dont know if you remember me but I attended your course in xx on 4th July 09.
I just want to let you know that I received my big brown envelope today! I was dreading opening it but I passed with 60%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to say a big big big thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not have done it without your course! Your material was brilliant and you were a brilliant teacher! I am so happy and Im going out to celebrate with my friends now.
Needs to start revising for my Interview now hehe!
Thank you so much again!

I would like to say a very big thank you for the help and advice that I received on 5th July in Kent.” I was dreading the police assessment role play exercises before I went on the Talking Blues course, but enjoyed doing them at my assessment centre after being taught how to approach them, and not to fear them. I managed to keep the conversation going in all of them for the full 5 minutes, and had to be cut short, and also the same for the interview questions!Got my results through yesterday and scored 64% overall, with 100% for oral communication.Many thanks, especially to Graham, don’t think I would of passed without your excellent help.

Hi,
I took the talking blues course on June 28th at Stafford, just to let you know I passed the police assesment and have my fitness test and would like to say thank you for the help. I will definately recommend this course to friends.
Once again Thank You

Hi,
I just wanted to thank you for all the help you gave me back in June (26th/ Hatfield) for my police assessment day preparation, I got my results yesterday and passed with 62% so am looking forward to my day 2 now!

Always makes us feel good, and we reckon that if we get stopped for speeding, at least 20% of the uniform officers in the country should know us by now!