UK Police Sift (SJT) cheat sheet

The College of Policing Code of Ethics sets out nine policing principles and ten standards of professional behaviour.

The nine policing principles: accountability, integrity, openness, fairness, leadership, respect, honesty, objectivity, selflessness.

The Nolan principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership.

The ten standards: honesty and integrity; authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity; use of force; orders and instructions; duties and responsibilities; confidentiality; fitness for work; conduct; challenging and reporting improper conduct.

A breach of a standard is dealt with as misconduct (management or written outcome) or gross misconduct (dismissal with or without notice).

Rule: an officer must never knowingly make a false or misleading statement, and must correct an error as soon as it is noticed.

Rule: gifts, hospitality and outside interests must be declared and recorded on the force register; an undisclosed benefit is a standards breach.

Rule: information obtained in the course of duty may only be disclosed where there is a policing purpose, consistent with the Data Protection Act 2018.

Ethical decision test: is the action lawful, necessary, proportionate, and defensible if explained publicly?

Open questions (Tell / Explain / Describe) build narrative; closed questions confirm a specific detail.

PEACE interview sequence: Planning and preparation; Engage and explain; Account; Closure; Evaluate.

Active listening cycle: attend, listen, clarify, summarise, reflect back to confirm understanding.

SMEAC briefing structure: Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and logistics, Command and signal.

Negotiation rule: focus on interests rather than stated positions, and identify your BATNA before entering discussions.

Conflict handling: separate the people from the problem, then generate options for mutual gain before selecting.

Under the Equality Act 2010 reasonable adjustments must be made for disabled colleagues, victims and witnesses.

Written statements: chronological order, first person, factual, and clearly separating what was observed from what was assumed.

National Decision Model stages: gather information and intelligence; assess threat and risk and set a working strategy; consider powers and policy; identify options and contingencies; take action; review.

THRIVE risk factors: Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation opportunities, Vulnerability, Engagement.

PLAN test applied before acting: Proportionate, Legal, Accountable, Necessary.

SARA problem-solving cycle: Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment.

Proportionality rule: where several lawful options exist, choose the least restrictive one that achieves the legitimate aim.

Force is lawful only where necessary, proportionate, and used for a lawful purpose such as self-defence, lawful arrest, or preventing escape.

Risk is assessed as likelihood multiplied by impact, recorded both before and after mitigation.

Every use of a police power must be recorded contemporaneously together with the justification for it.

Options analysis: identify at least two viable options, each with a contingency, before committing to action.

Accountability rule: own the decision, record the rationale, and report your own errors before anyone else identifies them.

Continuing professional development must be recorded annually, covering legal knowledge, practical skills and reflective learning from incidents.

Police Regulations provide a minimum of 11 hours rest in each 24-hour period; fatigue is a recognised factor in degraded decision quality.

Oscar Kilo is the National Police Wellbeing Service, providing fatigue, trauma and mental health resources to officers and staff.

TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) is peer-led screening after a critical incident, not counselling or therapy.

Gibbs' reflective cycle stages: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, action plan.

Burnout has three components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation or cynicism, and reduced sense of personal accomplishment.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places duties on both employer and employee to protect health, safety and welfare at work.