ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the legal background and planning steps that should be considered for difficult interviews. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 sets out the framework for interviews by police officers and others 'charged with the investigation of crime' when – and only when – criminal prosecution in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is contemplated. If criminal prosecution is a definite objective, the police should be informed before any internal interviews with suspects take place. Under normal circumstances, a suspect should never be interviewed by more than two people at a time, and even then the second person should try to stay out of his direct line of sight and should remain silent unless the lead interviewer invites him to speak. Ideally the interview room should be small, private, reasonably soundproof and away from centres of earnest activity.
