Police Inspector Aptitude flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Situational leadership

A leadership model matching the amount of direction and support to a follower's competence and commitment for a specific task, rather than applying one fixed style to everyone.

Tuckman's group stages

Forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning describe how teams develop; storming is a normal phase of conflict over roles and is managed rather than suppressed.

SMART objectives

Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound objectives give a basis for fair performance review, since progress can be evidenced rather than judged by impression.

Grievance versus discipline

A grievance is an employee's complaint about treatment; discipline is an allegation about an employee's conduct. They are separate processes with separate hearings and appeal rights.

Right to be accompanied

At a formal disciplinary or grievance hearing an employee may be accompanied by a work colleague or trade union representative, who may address the hearing but not answer questions for the employee.

Herzberg two-factor theory

Pay and working conditions are hygiene factors that prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate; recognition, responsibility and advancement are motivators that drive discretionary effort.

Delegation and accountability

A manager may delegate authority and tasks with clear standards and resources, but accountability for the outcome remains with the delegating manager and cannot be transferred.

National Decision Model

A six-stage framework: Code of Ethics, gather information, assess threat and risk, consider powers and policy, identify options, take action and review. It is a continuous loop.

THRIVE risk assessment

Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation opportunities, Vulnerability and Engagement are weighed to prioritise a policing response and decide what action is proportionate.

Proportionate use of force

Force must be lawful, necessary and no more than reasonably required to achieve the lawful objective; every use of force is recorded and open to review.

Decision log

A contemporaneous record of the information known, options considered, decision made and reasons, written so that the decision can be scrutinised later by others.

Cordon types

The inner cordon protects and controls the scene itself; the outer cordon controls access to the wider area; a rendezvous point keeps arriving resources from contaminating evidence.

Command tiers

Strategic command sets parameters and overall intent, tactical command converts intent into a plan, and operational command delivers the plan on the ground.

Statutory power requirement

Before acting, an officer must identify the specific legal power relied on, the grounds for using it, and record those grounds at the time or as soon as practicable.

Contingency planning

An operational plan identifies the primary option and at least one fallback, so that a change in circumstances does not force an unreviewed, improvised response.

Code of Ethics principles

Policing principles include honesty and integrity, fairness and impartiality, respect, transparency, accountability, and upholding the law - applied to every decision, on and off duty.

Standards of professional behaviour

Ten standards covering honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity, use of force, orders, duties, confidentiality, fitness for duty and discreditable conduct.

Objective misconduct test

Misconduct is judged by whether a reasonable person, knowing the facts, would consider the conduct to have fallen below the expected standard - not by the officer's intent alone.

Gross misconduct

A breach so serious that it fundamentally undermines the trust placed in the officer, and which can justify dismissal without notice even for a first occurrence.

Conflict of interest

A personal interest that could affect, or appear to affect, an officer's impartiality must be declared before involvement and the officer should be excluded from the decision.

Protected disclosure

A whistleblowing disclosure made in good faith about wrongdoing is legally protected; victimising the person who made it is itself separate misconduct.

Bribery Act 2010

Offences include offering, promising, requesting or accepting a financial or other advantage intending to induce or reward improper performance of a relevant function.

Policing purpose test

Access to police information must be necessary for a legitimate policing purpose, proportionate, and auditable; personal curiosity or convenience is never a policing purpose.

Active listening

Paraphrasing, summarising, reflecting feelings, asking open questions and tolerating silence confirm understanding and reduce the risk of escalation in a tense encounter.

Communication feedback loop

The sender encodes a message, a channel carries it through noise, the receiver decodes it, and feedback confirms whether the intended meaning actually arrived.

MASH

A Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub co-locates police, local authority, health and other partners to triage safeguarding referrals and share information quickly and lawfully.

MARAC

A Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference coordinates protection for high-risk domestic abuse victims, with each agency committing to an action recorded in a shared plan.

Lawful information sharing

Sharing is lawful when necessary, proportionate and relevant to a legitimate purpose; consent is one lawful basis but not the only one, especially in safeguarding.

Safeguarding information duty

Where withholding information could put a person at risk, sharing with the right partners is permitted; the decision and its legal basis are recorded.

Partnership role clarity

Effective multi-agency work needs agreed roles, a named point of contact, shared objectives and a written record; unclear roles are the most common cause of failure.

Whole-system approach

Police, local authority, health, education, probation and voluntary agencies each hold part of the risk picture; no single agency sees the whole situation alone.

Public reassurance messaging

A reassurance message acknowledges concern, explains what happened, states the action taken and next steps, and gives a channel for follow-up; silence fuels rumour.