ABSTRACT
Prior to the professionalisation of policing in England and Wales, police officers regularly used coercive and manipulative techniques to seek a confession from suspects of crime. One such technique is commonly known as the Reid Interrogation Technique, which utilises a Behaviour Analysis Interview before subjecting the suspect to the nine-step interrogation technique. However, following several high-profile miscarriages of justice subsequently leading to the Royal Commission on Criminal Procedure in England and Wales, new legislation was introduced to address concerns over ineffective interviewing techniques. In addition, the PEACE model of interviewing was developed and implemented in England and Wales. This chapter explores how police officers originally used interrogative practices when interviewing suspects and documents the move to investigative interviewing and the professionalisation of policing. Underpinned by psychological concepts and literature, the move to investigative interviewing in England and Wales encourages an information seeking approach rather than the confession-seeking ethos previously used.
