<p>Professional competences have been widely studied in workplace and professional learning. However, intercultural competence has received less attention generally and as a part professional competence, including in terms of its definition, manifestations, and practical applicability. This study examines how police students describe intercultural competence and how it is manifested in practical policing actions through their stories. Data comprising 84 stories were collected from police students in Finland using the method of empathy-based stories (MEBS), with participants composing short imaginary stories based on frame stories designed by the researcher. Students were asked to visualize a situation in which they responded to a domestic disturbance call involving an immigrant family and then asked why the police response succeeded or failed. The stories were analysed using thematic analysis, and vignettes were produced to demonstrate variations between successful and failed domestic disturbance tasks from the perspective of the actualization of intercultural competence. The findings illustrate how intercultural competence in action is shaped by the interplay between professional, methodical, social, and personal competences.</p>