Investigative Interviewing: A Change of Mindset

Interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects is a core task of law enforcement. Consequently, how the police conduct their interviews will have a profound impact on the outcome, fairness, efficiency, and reliability of any subsequent criminal proceedings, and ultimately, how citizens perceive the fairness of the criminal justice system. With limited positive guidance or assistance in formulating strategies to improve ethical and effective information retrieval, agencies have developed their own skills and practices. Traditionally, these practices have not benefitted from critical research, allowing outdated skills and beliefs, even myths, to direct a confession-orientated practice, intended to reinforce the assumptions already held by interviewers and their organizations. In contrast, the purpose of investigative interviewing is to collect accurate and reliable information, sufficiently detailed in order to disclose all relevant facts and diminish (reasonable) doubt about matters under investigation. Investigative interviewing is informed by 40 years of scientific research, developed in close cooperation with the police to guide detectives through a mental and practical procedure with an open-mind, preventing common pitfalls associated with relying on premature conclusions. Research has revealed that these rapport-based interviewing techniques stimulate the flow of accurate and reliable information from victims, witnesses, and suspects of crime, whilst preserving the interviewees’ dignity and human rights. For some police officers, it requires a change of mindset.