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Changing the interview technique of law enforcement officers

David Walsh is the Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Crime and Justice degree, and his research aims to create a more efficient and ethical interview model for law enforcement officers.

David has a non-academic background in benefit fraud interviewing.

He said: "Around 100,000 interviews are conducted each year by criminal law enforcement officers other than the police in mainland UK concerning benefit fraud, whether it's by Government officers in the Department of Work and Pensions or local council housing benefit investigators.

"However, almost all the research so far has been conducted on police interview techniques."

David has looked at hundreds of films and transcripts of actual benefit fraud interviews, and he has spoken to interviewers and interviewees.

He found that interviewers often failed to listen properly to people's individual stories, establish a rapport with interviewees at the interview's start or effectively challenge any gaps in their accounts.

This resulted in a low confession rate, compared with the average rate associated with police interviews.

Plans for a future interview technique

He is now proposing a new model for interviewees based on the acronym TOWARDS, measuring the:

  • Tactics and skills used
  • Outcomes
  • Weight of evidence
  • Attitudes of the interviewer/ interviewee
  • Respect for interviewee's rights
  • Degree of Shift towards a confession

David commented: "It represents a more ethical interview regime. More safe confessions would mean that conviction rates would go up, it would be less stressful for the interviewee and any witnesses, and less costly than a trial."

Other publications from this group

  • Grace J (2009) The data crisis in the UK, J. Law and Society. 36 (2) Supp (Socio-Legal Newsletter), 6-7
  • Gunn M (2009) Hospital treatment for incapacitated adults, Re P. Medical Law Review 17, 274-281
  • Platsas A E (2009) The Idea of Legal Convergence and International Economic Law, International Journal of Private Law 2 (4), 385-399
David Walsh David Walsh