INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEWING

Investigative Interviewing

Investigative Interviewing

Introduction

Investigative interviewing is perhaps the most controversial area of policing practice. It is also one of the areas around which public perceptions of police procedures have been shaped most dramatically by media representations, particularly dramatic fictional accounts. This paper discusses the investigative interviewing practices within UK police service using the PEACE interviewing framework. This report addresses the complex and topical problems, which surrounds the interviewing techniques use by UK police of the accused of a crime, and questions relating to the confession of the accused. In the criminal justice system, investigative interviewing in interrogation more often appears as a motive or aggravating factor in the enhancing the capability of officers to gather evidences or facts about the suspect (Skerker, 2010).

PEACE interviewing framework

PEACE interviewing framework define the fundamental approach to effective investigate techniques (Lloyd, 2000). It is a five step process that enhances the capability of a police officer to gather maximum useful information about the suspect or the situations that victim experienced, which lead to development of constructive approach for case defence (Robertson, 2010). This section describes the stages of PEACE framework and how it contributes to the effective investigative interviewing.

Planning and Preparation

Police officers are the first contact a victim or suspect have with the criminal justice system (Leo, 2008). Depending on how this contact goes, victims will have either a positive or negative view of the criminal justice system. Investigative interviewing by police is an issue of contention, regardless of specific methods deployed by the police (Feld, 2006). The condition of an officer being alone with a suspect, while trying to gather evidence or a confession through interview, is a subject of intense scrutiny and questioning. Issues of coercion, respect of interviewee's rights, due process, and legitimacy of information gained centre to the problems associated with the interviewing accused or suspect person. Under Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1983, a police officer should address the factors he should consider prior to conducting an interview in planning phase (Keane, 2008). This involves defining what questions to ask from suspects depending on the charge.

The essential factors of planning phase include deciding how to approach the person, to study the details of the case, establish the appropriate duration, to define the place of the meeting, and setting expectations from the investigative interview by defining fundamental questions (Zander, 2006).

Engage and Explain

Existing methods to elicit the confession of a person through investigative interview raises questions on the viability of approach police adopt to get the results in relation to the framework defined under Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Sometimes interviewers do not value the convenience to follow a set procedure to do the job as it should be (Robertson, 2010). They think they can get what they need at any time and do not give importance to the challenges they may encounter during interview. This include refusal of suspect or victim to cooperate with the police officers or limited disclosure of ...