Investigative Interviewing: The Anonymous PI Method Part Three - After The Interview

As promised, Dear Reader, here is the final chapter on Investigative Interviewing practices as generally performed by me. If you have just found this post, you can read the preceding parts one and two.  This post is, thankfully, a bit shorter.

So you've completed the initial interview. Now what?

Investigative Interviewing: The Anonymous PI Method Part Two - Conducting The Interview

Following on from Part One where we looked at preparations beforehand, this installment focuses on conducting the actual interview itself.

However, it's not just a matter of rocking up and asking the tough questions, no. There are still a number of factors to carefully take into account as well as setting the stage for the questioning.

Bear in mind this is a brief overview of the interview process. Perhaps in the future I might look at specific areas in greater detail.

So let us begin.

Investigative Interviewing: The Anonymous PI Method Part One - Before The Interview

As Polonius said in Hamlet (Act 2, Scene 2) "Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t."

I guess it's time that I touched upon the practical aspects of conducting an interview - or at least the way that I have been doing them for the past few years.

This is quite a lengthy topic so for sake of sanity, yours and mine, I'll break it down into several smaller posts over the next few weeks. And, to begin, we'll look at what preparatory steps should be taken prior to conducting any investigative interview.

However, there is one other matter to clarify first.

INTERVIEW v INTERROGATION

Review of "Investigative Interviewing: The Conversation Management Approach" by Eric Shepherd

As promised, Dear Reader, for your delectation and delight, my review of Eric Shepherd's mighty tome on "Investigative Interviewing".

At 522 pages, this is no lightweight volume. And I mean that both literally and figuratively.

A week on after having received it, what are my thoughts?

The Art of Interviewing

They're just questions, Leon. In answer to your query, they're written down for me. It's a test designed to provoke an emotional response.

Investigative interviews.

It's one of those areas that I actually quite enjoy; sitting down in front of a POI (Person of Interest), whether Witness or Suspect, and engaging with them verbally to obtain their account of events and, in some cases, obtain explanations for any discrepancies in accounts.

It's not rocket science but there is an art to it.