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"Tell Me About a Difficult Decision You've Made": 3 Critical Elements Your Police Interview Answer Must Include

The Common Question That Trips Up Even the Strongest Candidates

"Can you tell me about a time when you've had to make a difficult decision?"

If you're preparing for a police recruitment interview or promotion board, this question is almost guaranteed to appear. It's one of the most common competency questions across all UK forces—and also one of the most frequently mishandled.

After coaching thousands of candidates through police recruitment and promotion processes for over 30 years, I've identified three critical elements that must be present in your answer to score highly. Yet most candidates include none of them, settling instead for pedestrian examples that fail to demonstrate the decision-making skills essential for policing.

Here are the three key components your "difficult decision" answer must include to stand out from the crowd and secure those crucial high marks.

1. The Decision Must Actually Be Difficult

This might sound obvious, but it's surprising how many candidates describe routine choices or standard procedures rather than genuinely difficult decisions.

A difficult decision typically involves:

• Competing priorities where both options have merit

• Ethical considerations or value conflicts

• Significant consequences regardless of which option you choose

• Limited information or time pressure

• Potential for professional or personal risk

Common mistake: Many candidates describe situations where they simply followed procedure or made straightforward choices. For example: "I had to decide whether to complete Task A or Task B first, so I prioritised Task A because it was more urgent."

This isn't a difficult decision—it's basic prioritisation. No assessor will be impressed by your ability to identify that urgent tasks come before non-urgent ones.

Better approach: Choose an example where you faced genuine difficulty in deciding between viable alternatives. For instance, a situation where you had to balance team needs against organisational priorities, or where you needed to take action that would benefit the long-term goal but create short-term challenges.

Remember: You will make difficult decisions every day as a police officer or leader. Your example should demonstrate you're capable of navigating complex decision landscapes, not just following obvious paths.

2. Show Accountability for Your Decision

The second critical element missing from most answers is accountability—especially when others disagreed with your decision.

Policing decisions rarely please everyone. You'll frequently need to make choices that some colleagues, members of the public, or even supervisors might question. Your willingness to own these decisions and handle the aftermath professionally is crucial.

Common mistake: Candidates often describe decisions where everyone agreed with their choice or where there were no consequences to manage. These examples fail to demonstrate resilience when facing scrutiny or challenge.

Better approach: Include in your example:

• How you communicated your decision to those affected

• How you responded when someone questioned or challenged your decision

• How you remained committed to your decision while acknowledging others' perspectives

• The specific language you used when explaining your rationale to others

This part of your answer reveals your interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence—qualities that are essential in modern policing where decisions are often scrutinised by colleagues, the public, and sometimes the media.

3. Explain Your Decision-Making Process

The third critical element is a detailed explanation of how you arrived at your decision—not just what you decided.

Police interviewers are often less interested in what decision you made than in how you made it. They want to see a structured approach to decision-making that can be applied to the complex situations officers face daily.

Common mistake: Many candidates jump straight from problem to solution without explaining their thought process: "I faced this situation and decided to do X."

Better approach: Detail your decision-making process:

• What options did you consider?

• How did you weigh the pros and cons of each option?

• Who did you consult or what information did you gather?

• What criteria did you use to evaluate your options?

• How did you test your thinking before committing to your decision?

This demonstrates that your decision wasn't arbitrary or impulsive but the result of careful consideration—exactly what's expected of police officers making decisions that impact public safety and community trust.

Putting It All Together: A Framework for Your Answer

When structuring your answer to this question, consider using this framework:

1. Briefly outline the situation that required a decision (keep this concise—many candidates spend too long here)

2. Explain why this was genuinely difficult (competing priorities, ethical considerations, significant consequences)

3. Detail your decision-making process:

   • The options you considered

   • How you gathered information or sought advice

   • Your analysis of pros and cons

   • The criteria you used to evaluate options

4. Clearly state your decision and immediate actions taken

5. Describe the accountability aspect:

   • How you communicated your decision

   • How you responded to any challenge or disagreement

   • How you remained committed while acknowledging other viewpoints

6. Briefly outline the outcome and any learning points

This structure ensures you hit all three critical elements while maintaining a clear narrative that assessors can easily follow and score.

Real-World Application: Policing Context

For police recruitment, your examples don't need to come from policing experience, but you should be able to draw parallels to the policing environment.

Consider how your difficult decision relates to police values and priorities such as:

• Public safety and wellbeing

• Ethical use of authority

• Balancing competing demands with limited resources

• Transparency and accountability

• Community impact

Even if your example comes from retail, healthcare, education, or another field entirely, make the connection to policing explicit: "This situation required me to balance individual needs against wider responsibilities, which I understand is a daily reality for police officers when..."

Prepare Multiple Examples

Don't rely on a single difficult decision example. Prepare at least three different scenarios that demonstrate different aspects of decision-making, such as:

1. A time-pressured decision with limited information

2. A decision that required balancing competing priorities

3. A decision that put you at odds with others but was necessary

This preparation ensures you can adapt to however the question is phrased, whether it's:

• "Tell me about a difficult decision you've made..."

• "Describe a time when you had to make a decision that others disagreed with..."

• "Give an example of how you've approached complex decision-making..."

Ready to Master Your Police Interview?

Understanding these three critical elements for difficult decision questions is just one piece of the puzzle. Our Academy programme provides comprehensive preparation for all aspects of police recruitment and promotion processes.

With one-to-one coaching, small group webinars, and extensive practice materials, we've helped thousands of candidates achieve success in forces across the UK.

Click here to learn more about our Academy programme and discover why our approach consistently leads to first-time success for candidates at all levels.

Remember: In policing, how you make decisions is often more important than what you decide. Make sure your interview answers reflect the thoughtful, accountable decision-maker you truly are.