NATIONAL INVESTIGATORS' EXAMINATION HANDBOOK General Principles, Police Powers and Procedures: 2023 (NPPF STEP 2 LEGAL AND NIE EXAMINATIONS)

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Using an investigative mindset, investigators will plan, understand, examine, record and evaluate the material they gather, including victim and witness accounts. They will use technical and scientific experts to maximise evidential opportunities. Candidates must not gain, or attempt to gain, any unfair advantage during the examination. All officers are expected to act with integrity and in line with the principles and standards of behaviour set out within the Code of Ethics. Candidates must not help, or accept help from, anyone else during or after the examination. This includes attempting to gain assistance from using artificial intelligence applications.

Officers rejoining the police service sits outside of the NPPF. However, officers who are returning to the police service at a higher rank than they left and to the ranks of sergeant and inspector are required to comply, in part, with the NPPF. Results will not be issued instantly, as we will need to analyse the results of the exam and have these ratified by the debrief panel to ensure the exam has been delivered fairly. Unscheduled incidents How do I put in an appeal of unscheduled incidents? A few days before the examination, candidates will receive details of how to access the examination platform on the day of the examination, as well as information about how to log in to the examination. Declaration notice

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they provide the necessary documentation and request form to their force examinations officer in sufficient time. Accommodations – non-disability-related requests We expect all officers to act with integrity and in line with the principles and standards of behaviour as set out within the Code of Ethics and to not try to gain an unfair advantage in the exam by any means. The design of the exams and mechanisms that we have introduced into the delivery of the exam mean that attempts to cheat are likely to be ineffective and are easy to identify due to the way that the system records activity in the platform. This may be because the offender has left very little evidence or because there are no viable lines of enquiry to pursue. We will be delivering the exams using a platform called Civica Assess, which is owned by a well-established testing company, Civica. The platform has undergone extensive testing with a high volume of test-takers. The exam platform will be accessed via a URL, which will be sent to you ahead of the exam. You will be sent a link to familiarise yourself with the exam platform a week before the exam. What device will I need to take my exam on?

In such circumstances, it may be necessary for an update or supplement to the syllabus to be issued, to guide candidates on any additional material that would be examinable.Usually, no further updates or supplements to the NPPF syllabus will be issued during its year-long lifespan. However, in exceptional circumstances, the College of Policing may issue an amended syllabus in advance of the next scheduled annual publication date. Any risks should be assessed and effectively managed and they should be directed to appropriate support services. Core investigative topics Officers cannot apply for a step three process without a valid step two pass and cannot apply before an extension is officially granted and communicated by the panel. It is the officer's responsibility to ensure they apply for an extension to validity ahead of time, as a response may take several weeks to receive. The College of Policing is unable to provide the above software but the platform is compatible with most commonly used software for the above. The College of Policing can provide any candidate who wishes to use the above software in the exam with a practice question before the exam to test their software on.

The College of Policing is unable to supply candidates with suitable devices for their exam. The URL for the online platform will be provided to you ahead of the exam.

Behaviours

Making and/or keeping copies of the questions in any format is prohibited. The questions remain the intellectual property of the College of Policing and we reserve the right to reuse questions. If people keep and share copies of questions, this affects the future integrity of examinations. In these cases, it is still important to record the outcome of the investigation accurately for intelligence purposes. This will help the police service to identify crime patterns and take proactive action to reduce risk and prevent further crimes. However, in considering whether an accommodation is appropriate, it is important to ensure that the accommodation does not change the standard that the candidate is being measured against, and that the candidate is not provided with an unfair advantage over other candidates. Littler has found out that his wife is having an affair with Hunt. Littler abducts Hunt and drives him around Sandford. He has an imitation gun in the glove compartment. Littler tells Hunt that he has a firearm and that he will shoot Hunt if he does not promise to stop seeing his wife. Hunt is unconcerned by the threats so Littler drives his car in a dangerous manner intending to endanger both their lives.

All candidates will register for the NPPF examinations using the assessment information management system (AIMS). This is an online system developed to support the administration and delivery of national examinations. AIMS is an intuitive cloud-based system and is designed to work on a variety of mobile devices. You will not be supervised while you take your exam. As a police officer taking a professional career examination, you are expected to act with integrity and in line with the principles and standards of behaviour set out within the Code of Ethics. There are a number of mechanisms built into the exam to detect cheating - see Maintaining the integrity of policing exams . Any candidate who is suspected of cheating or disclosing the content of the exam in any form will be investigated and could have their exam results nullified and/or be banned from entering the exam in future. Candidates suspected of cheating will be referred to their force’s professional standards unit. Can I take my exam at a venue provided by my force? However, please note that candidates will still need to notify their intention to request a reasonable adjustment. Further information on reasonable adjustments and accommodations Please note that a candidate whose force or organisation is not aware of their disability, and who wishes to maintain the confidentiality of it, can approach the exams team at the College of Policing directly. Candidates should, however, be aware that confidential requests for reasonable adjustments may diminish the extent to which reasonable adjustments can be made. Offering reasonable adjustments and accommodationsAll officers (OSPRE and NPPF qualified) are required to complete a minimum of two years as a substantive sergeant before they can be substantively promoted to inspector under Regulation 5 of the Police (Promotion) Regulations 1996 (as amended). OSPRE qualified officers are required to complete a probationary period of one year (or longer) in the role of sergeant as part of their mandatory two years as a substantive sergeant before they can be substantively promoted to inspector. The online delivery of exams will enable you to take your exam in a convenient place, without the need to sit the exam at a physical exam centre alongside other candidates. You can choose where to take your exam so that it is suitable and convenient for you. This could include in your own home or at a venue provided by your force, if they choose to provide one for you. Can I take the exam abroad? The sergeants' and inspectors' NPPF step two legal examinations consist of a single, three-hour examination containing 150 multiple-choice questions. The NPPF step two legal examination pass is valid for five years (less one day) from the date of taking the examination. For a candidate to be eligible to complete the NPPF step three, the date of the step three process must fall within this period. You now have the opportunity to develop your career further within the investigation world, with many investigators progressing to supervisory or management roles, aspiring to be a senior investigating officer (SIO) or strategic investigator.