We collaborate: police CVF examples and how to write your answer
Updated · 3 min read
'We collaborate' is about working with others, inside and outside your own team, to achieve something none of you could manage alone. Policing relies on partners: other forces, councils, health services, schools and communities. Assessors want to see you build those relationships, share information and find common ground.
'We collaborate' is one of the six competencies in the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework (CVF), updated in 2024. You'll meet it in application forms, assessment processes, interviews and promotion boards. Our main CVF guide covers the whole framework; this page goes deep on 'We collaborate'.
What assessors look for
- You worked with people outside your immediate team or organisation.
- You built trust and understood what others needed from the work.
- You shared information and credit openly.
- You worked through disagreements to reach a shared goal.
Showing the values at the same time
The three CVF values (courage, respect and empathy, and public service) run through every competency. Collaboration shows public service when the partnership made a real difference to people or a community. Make that link at the end of your answer.
How the question is usually worded
- Give an example of when you worked with other people or organisations to achieve a goal.
- Tell us about a time you built a working relationship with someone you found difficult.
- Describe a time you worked with a community or partner group.
An example answer
I volunteer with a youth football club. Our numbers had dropped because families on a nearby estate couldn't afford the fees or get to our pitch, and a local youth centre and a church were also trying to run activities for the same children. I suggested the three groups meet, rather than compete for the same kids. At the first meeting I asked each group what they needed most: the youth centre had space but no coaches, the church had a minibus but nothing to use it for, and we had coaches but no affordable venue. We agreed to run a free Saturday session at the youth centre, with our coaches and the church's minibus for children further away. I wrote a simple shared plan with who was doing what, and set up a group chat so problems could be sorted quickly. When the church worried about insurance for the minibus, I helped their treasurer check our club's policy, which covered it. Within three months, 35 children were coming every week, 20 of whom had never played with us before. The council has since given the partnership a small grant to keep it running, and I still coordinate it.
- Brings separate organisations together around a shared goal
- Asks what each partner needs, building trust
- Practical coordination and problem-solving
- A clear benefit to the community
Your examples don't have to come from policing. Most applicants use work, volunteering, sport or study. What matters is that it clearly shows the competency, and what you personally did.
Common mistakes
- Using a team example where everyone already worked together and nothing needed building.
- Writing 'we' throughout, so your own part disappears.
- Leaving out who benefited from the collaboration.
The CVF describes each competency at different levels for different roles, so read the indicators for the level on your force's advert, and check which version of the framework they're using. Then save your best 'We collaborate' answer: it will come up again at interview, and again at promotion. The STAR method is the structure behind every answer on this page.
Frequently asked questions
- Does it need to involve other organisations?
- It's strongest when it does, but working across teams within an organisation, or with members of the public, can also work well.
- Can I reuse my teamwork answer?
- Often, with changes. Make sure it shows building relationships and shared goals, not just being part of a team. Our teamwork guide has more on this.