ABSTRACT
In the following studies, the research team worked alongside officers from Australia, Canada, Norway and the UK. Our purpose was to begin with some basic evaluation of their work with suspects and witnesses. Much of this work involved simple ‘bean counting’ of the use (or lack thereof) of particular tactics. However, in tracking the evolution of particular tactics over time (in evaluations 1 and 2) and in assessing perceptions of the use of tactics against actual use (in evaluation 3), we found a number of interesting issues pertinent to the way in which these officers conducted their interviews. Principally, it became clear that many social/interpersonal aspects are relevant in police interviews, from the emergence of socially constructed narratives of the case, as expressed by constructing and then confirming preconceived ideas; through to perceptual difficulties in assessing what qualities discriminate acceptable persuasion from unacceptable coercion.
