Interviewing Witnesses

A. Mungo, L. C. Malloy, David la Rooy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

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Abstract

Imagine that you are at the pub with your friends. You start to hear a commotion at the next table. A fight has broken out between two fellow patrons, and it escalates quickly. Above the laughter and music, you hear punches being thrown and glasses breaking. You notice one of the men pull a knife from his back pocket and gasp as you see him plunge this knife into the abdomen of the other man. Your friend shouts, “Call 999!” Fearing for your own safety, you make the call, stating the basic facts of what you have just witnessed to the emergency response team. A few moments later you hear sirens; police and paramedics are on the scene. They want to talk to you. You thought that you would have a nice evening out with friends, and now you are a key witness to a crime. Feeling distressed and shocked by what you just saw, you shake hands with a police officer, and prepare to give your statement. How will the police question you to ensure that they get an accurate and complete account of what happened? Have their interviewing techniques been supported by empirical research? In this chapter, we focus on these questions, highlighting several “best-practice” interviewing techniques.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationForensic Psychology
Subtitle of host publicationCrime, Justice, Law, Interventions
EditorsGraham M Davies , Anthony R Beech
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherWiley
Chapter7
Pages201-230
Number of pages30
Edition3rd
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-119-10665-4
ISBN (Print)978-1-119-10667-8
Publication statusPublished - 2017

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