ABSTRACT
Despite the importance of conducting investigative interviews with witnesses and victims of crimes appropriately, there was a period of time in Scotland, as was the case in the rest of the UK and indeed many other countries, when there were no standardised evidence-based guidelines or formal training methods for investigative interviewers. Training procedures for police officers comprised largely of watching more experienced colleagues conduct interviews (Moston and Engleberg, 1993). It was not until the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE, 1984) was passed in the UK, that the handling of criminal investigations from the initial arrest and detention, to the investigation and interview process, was formalised and guidelines for police officers were developed. PACE 1984 led to the development of the PEACE model (Planning and Preparation, Engage and Explain, Account, Closure and Evaluation) (1992), introduced by the Association of Chief Police Officers for England and Wales (ACPO), that served as formal interview guidelines to be followed in England and Wales. (See Chapter 9 in this volume for further information on practices in England and Wales.)
Given that Scotland has its own judicial system, there are some differences to the rest of the UK, and it was not until 1996 that the PRICE model (Preparation, Rapport, Information Gathering, Confirming the Content and Evaluation and Action) was introduced to the Scottish probationary police constable courses, despite it being part of the Detective Training Unit at the Scottish Police College since the early 1990s. The PRICE model is indeed very similar to the PEACE model.
