OACP Problem-Solving Scenarios 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: While on patrol you notice a child alone outside a school at 10 p.m. The child appears distressed and cannot explain where their parents are. What is the first action to take?
- Leave the child and continue patrol since the school is a safe location
- Immediately place the child in foster care
- Ensure the child's immediate safety, attempt to identify the child, and notify child welfare services (Correct answer)
- Charge the parents with abandonment before locating them
Correct answer: Ensure the child's immediate safety, attempt to identify the child, and notify child welfare services
Securing the child's safety and notifying child welfare services ensures a coordinated response following child protection protocols.
Question 2: During a domestic dispute follow-up visit, the victim states they no longer wish to cooperate with the investigation. How should the investigating officer proceed?
- Close the file immediately at the victim's request
- Charge the victim with obstruction for refusing to cooperate
- Document the victim's statement, assess safety concerns, and consult with a supervisor about proceeding in the public interest (Correct answer)
- Pressure the victim until they agree to cooperate
Correct answer: Document the victim's statement, assess safety concerns, and consult with a supervisor about proceeding in the public interest
Victim recantation is common in domestic cases; the public interest test determines whether the investigation proceeds independent of the victim's wishes.
Question 3: A store manager asks you to remove a person who is loitering in front of the store but has not committed any offence. What is the appropriate response?
- Arrest the person for trespassing
- Speak with the individual, explain the manager's concern, and ask them to move along if they have no legitimate purpose (Correct answer)
- Physically remove the person immediately
- Refuse any involvement since no crime has occurred
Correct answer: Speak with the individual, explain the manager's concern, and ask them to move along if they have no legitimate purpose
Speaking with the individual is a measured, proportionate response that may resolve the issue without resorting to force or arrest.
Question 4: You receive a report of a person making threats on social media directed at a named individual. What is the most important initial step?
- Dismiss the report since online threats are not real crimes
- Preserve the digital evidence by screenshot, assess the credibility of the threat, and notify the potential victim (Correct answer)
- Immediately arrest the person making the posts
- Forward the complaint to social media support staff and close the file
Correct answer: Preserve the digital evidence by screenshot, assess the credibility of the threat, and notify the potential victim
Preserving evidence before it can be deleted and assessing threat credibility are critical first steps in any online threat investigation.
Question 5: A caller reports that their elderly parent has not been seen for two days and is not answering calls. The parent lives alone. What is the most appropriate response?
- Advise the caller that adults are free to go wherever they wish
- Attend the residence, conduct a wellness check, and contact emergency services if necessary (Correct answer)
- Wait 72 hours before taking action as per a standard missing-person policy
- File a missing person report and take no further action until 24 hours pass
Correct answer: Attend the residence, conduct a wellness check, and contact emergency services if necessary
Vulnerable individuals such as the elderly warrant immediate welfare checks regardless of any waiting period policy.
Question 6: During a traffic enforcement detail, a driver offers you a cash payment to avoid a ticket. What is the correct response?
- Accept the payment since no supervisor is present
- Decline the offer, issue the ticket or warning as appropriate, and report the attempted bribe through proper channels (Correct answer)
- Accept the cash and submit it to the station as a fine payment
- Warn the driver verbally and retain the cash as evidence
Correct answer: Decline the offer, issue the ticket or warning as appropriate, and report the attempted bribe through proper channels
Accepting a bribe constitutes a serious criminal offence; declining and reporting upholds professional integrity and departmental policy.
Question 7: You attend a scene where a person appears intoxicated and is unable to care for themselves but has committed no criminal offence. What is the most appropriate action?
- Arrest the person for public intoxication
- Leave the person on scene since no crime occurred
- Apprehend the person under applicable intoxication or mental health legislation to ensure their safety (Correct answer)
- Call a taxi and release the person to the driver
Correct answer: Apprehend the person under applicable intoxication or mental health legislation to ensure their safety
Protective custody provisions exist specifically to safeguard individuals who are incapable of self-care due to intoxication.
OACP Problem-Solving Scenarios 4
While on patrol you notice a child alone outside a school at 10 p.m.
The child appears distressed and cannot explain where their parents are.
What is the first action to take?