Witness and Suspect Interviewing Flashcards
Define a Witness
‘A person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident take place’
Describe the history of the PEACE model
The home officer decision that the police service should have a national single model of investigative interviewing that:
- Was not focused on obtaining confessions from suspects
- Increased the potential of witness interviewing
Describe the PEACE Model
P - Planning and preparation - Create and record interview
- Introduction and rapport
E - Engage and explain
- PACE requirements
- Reasons and routines
- Opening
- Take and develop account
A - Account clarification and challenge
- Review
- Clarification/challenge
- Probe topic
- Introduce investigator topics
C - Closure
E - Evaluation
- Evaluate information, investigation, and interviewer
Explain what happens in the planning and preparation stage of the PEACE Model?
During this stage you are planning and preparing for meeting your witness for the first time. This is one of the most important phases in effective interviewing. The success of the interview and consequently, the investigation could depend on it.
List the individual characteristics which should be taken into account when witness interviewing
- Age
- Cultural background
- Religion of belief
- Domestic circumstances
- Physical and mental health
- Disability
- Previous contact with the police
- Gender
Explain ‘GRRR’
G - Greetings - how would you like to be treated?
R - Reasons - Why the interview is taking place
R - Routine - Routine of the interview
R - Route Map - Process of the interview
List what you would do in the account stage
- Active listening
- Questioning
Explain the Cone System
Opening question - Start with an opening question - tell me about, describe, explain etc.
Probing question - Continuing with probing questions - Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Closed question - Do you?, Is it true that? Would you say that? etc
List how you would show effective listening?
- Guggling
- Nodding
- ‘Yes’
- ‘Go on’
- ‘Mmm’
- ‘Ah ha’
Explain inappropriate questions when interviewing a witness
Forced Choice - Do you want a coffee?
Multiple - Was there another vehicle and which way did it go?
Complex - You said that you’ve never been there before but i think that you did go there, and that you said you’ve never been there because you know the place was unsafe isn’t that so?
Misleading - The distinction between leading and misleading questions concerns the nature of the implied response. The first leads to a correct response, the second leads to an incorrect response
What is PLAT?
People
Location
Action
Time
Describe wny interviewers need to know about memory?
- To understand memory is fragile
- Memory can be influenced by the interviewer
- Interviewee’s can be assisted to remember
List what affect ability to recall
- Ineffective encoding
- Interference
- Fading
- Motivated forgetting
- Physical injury/trauma
- Organic causes
List who can support a witness/victim
- Does not have to be a relative
- Cannot be associated or linked to the case
- Can be social services
- Witness support will counter sign the statement
- Will assist with communication and understanding however, this needs to be monitored by the interviewer as they are not able to answer or speak for the witness
Describe Victim’s code and special measures
- To be able to understand and be understood
- To have the details of the crime recorded without unjustified delay
- To be provided with information when reporting a crime
- To be referred to service that support victims and have services and support tailored to your needs
- To be provided with information about compensation
- To be provided with information about the investigation and prosecution
- To make a VPS
- To be given information about the trial, trial process and your role as a witness
- To be given information about the outcome of the case and any appeals
- To be paid expenses and have property returned
- To be given information about the offender following a conviction
- To make a complaint about your rights not being met