PEACE is the acronym for a framework that investigators use to conduct robust interviews.
Investigative interviewing has developed significantly since PEACE became popular, but the framework is still valid.
It could be your ideal way to begin to develop your skills.
PEACE stands for Plan & prepare, Engage & explain, Account, Close and Evaluate.
Plan and prepare – in action
Who will I talk to? In what order do I want to interview people? What do I want to know? What information can this witness corroborate? What, if any, offences have been committed? Where will the interview take place? Do I have any safety concerns? Effective planning helps an interview run smoothly.
Engage and explain
Good investigators know the value of building professional engagement. Good rapport can reduce stress and conflict during an interview. It also helps the interviewee to relax and be more open with the investigator.
Research shows how good rapport can reduce the likelihood that the interviewee will lie to the investigator. But the rapport must be ethically developed to protect the information we receive during the interview.
Explaining what will happen during the interview process helps put the interviewee at ease and makes an unfamiliar process feel safer.
For legal and psychological reasons, include the purpose of the interview – why we are all here, the structure of the interview (what’s going to happen and how) and any processes you might adopt during the interview, such as recording or note-taking.
Account
The account stage is when we ask questions to learn the truth of what happened. We probe the answers to get a full understanding of the interviewee’s account and to gain additional knowledge in the areas that hold most evidential interest for us.
If investigators do a poor job in the account stage, they may draw incorrect conclusions or lack the information to make sound recommendations on how to proceed. Sometimes a well conducted exploration in the account stage will make any further investigating unnecessary or it may produce enough evidence to proceed to a charge in court.
Close
The close stage is where we wrap up the interview and help the interviewee understand what happens next. We can also confirm any timeframes for supplying additional information and offer support for witnesses and victims.
Evaluate
So now the interview is complete, it’s time to evaluate what we know (in the context of the whole investigation – where are we?). We can also take some time to evaluate our performance as an interviewer or an interviewing team. This stage might also lead us back into planning for another interview and updating our investigation file.
That’s PEACE in a nutshell.
Interested in a workshop on investigative interviewing for your team?
