ABSTRACT
Since the events of 9/11 and 7/7, there has been much research and debate concerning the policing of terrorism. There has been recent interest in the way in which police carry out interviews with terrorist suspects, the tactics used, the risks and opportunities for the investigation, and the methods of best practice (Roberts 2011). One topic that has not so far been explored is the police use of urgent interviews (as defined by English Law) with terrorist suspects. This area is of some interest because of the context in which these interviews take place and because the relevant legislation allows some relaxation of the usual controls placed upon police interviews. This chapter therefore explores urgent interviews with terrorist suspects as defined within English Law; it argues that the context in which these interviews are done raises a number of possible risks to the integrity of a police investigation and
Introduction 349 The Law 350 The Urgent Interview Context 351 Utility of Robust Interview Practices 352 Conducting the Urgent Interview 355 Interview Planning 355 Interview Personnel 356 Suspect Characteristics 357 Interviewer Behavior 359 Summary and Conclusions 361 References 362
considers how some of these risks may be mitigated. The chapter begins with a discussion of the relevant legislation.
