Public service: police CVF value examples and how to show it
Updated · 3 min read
Public service is about acting in the best interests of the public and the communities you serve, even when it isn't the easiest or quickest option. It's about trust: being someone the public can rely on to put their needs, especially the needs of the most vulnerable, ahead of convenience or self-interest.
Public service is one of the three values at the heart of the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework (CVF), updated in 2024. Unlike the six competencies, the values aren't usually asked about on their own: assessors look for them in every answer you give. Some forms and interviews do ask about them directly, though, so it pays to have a strong example ready. Our main CVF guide covers the whole framework.
What assessors look for
- You put the needs of the public or the people you served first.
- You went beyond the minimum to help someone, especially someone vulnerable.
- You acted in a way that builds trust.
- You understood why your work mattered to the people affected.
Showing it in every answer
You don't need a separate story to show public service. In any competency answer, a sentence about why you acted, or how you treated the people involved, can show it. Read each of your answers back and ask: would an assessor see public service here? If not, one honest sentence about your reasons often fixes it.
When it's asked about directly
- Tell us why you want to serve the public as a police officer.
- Give an example of when you went out of your way to help someone.
- Describe a time you put someone else's needs ahead of your own convenience.
An example answer
Near the end of a late shift at a supermarket, I noticed an elderly woman who had been walking up and down the same aisle for some time. She seemed confused, and when I spoke to her she couldn't remember how she'd got there or where she lived. My shift was ending, but I didn't want to leave her alone or just pass her to a colleague who was busy closing up. I sat with her in the staff room, made her a cup of tea and talked to her calmly. I found a card in her purse with her daughter's number, and called her with the woman's permission. Her daughter explained that her mum had dementia and had gone missing from home two hours earlier, and that she'd already called the police. I called 101 to let them know she was safe and where she was, and stayed with her until her daughter arrived 30 minutes later. The daughter wrote to the store to thank me, and the store later added a dementia-friendly training session for staff. It showed me how much small acts of care matter to people at their most vulnerable.
- Puts a vulnerable person's needs ahead of finishing on time
- Acts with care and dignity
- Works with the police and family
- Shows understanding of why it mattered
Use a real example from your own life. Values questions are often followed up at interview, and a borrowed story falls apart under follow-up questions.
Common mistakes
- Writing in general terms about wanting to help people, with no example.
- Choosing an example where you were just doing your job, with nothing extra.
- Forgetting to connect it to trust and the community, which is what public service is about.
Keep your best public service example saved alongside your competency answers. You'll be asked about it again at interview, and the same values come up at every promotion. The STAR method keeps it focused on what you did.
Frequently asked questions
- Is 'why do you want to be a police officer' a public service question?
- Often, yes. Answer it with specific experiences that show you care about serving the public, not just general statements. Our guide to why do you want to work here has a method that works here too.
- Does my example need to involve the police?
- No. Any time you put the public's or someone vulnerable's needs first, at work, volunteering or in everyday life, can show this value.