There are three main sources of evidence in an investigation, namely, physical evidence, documents, and people. However, few investigators are professionally trained in effective, evidence-based investigative interviewing techniques. Without effective interviewing skills not only can investigators miss an opportunity to obtain meaningful information, but they can even taint the information that they do get through improper methods.
Many investigators are unaware of how people’s memories are formed, and what techniques increase the interviewee’s ability to access these memories effectively. Similarly, many investigators think the goal of a suspect interview is to obtain a confession and without such an outcome that the interview is a failure. Additionally, few investigators understand how to identify vulnerable interviewees including those with mental health issues, and know how to deal with such persons.
Gérard Labuschagne
Professor Gérard Labuschagne PhD is a Director and co-owner of L&S Threat Management. He was the Section Head of
