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An Expert Talks - Interviewing The Suspect
Interviewing a suspect is not as straightforward as the entertainment industry makes you believe. Former Detective Sergeant Jason Grey explains the reality.
ConsultingCops (CC) - Hi Jason, can you please tell us what force you worked for, what rank you retired at and what role you performed?
Jason Grey (JG) - I retired as a Detective Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police. My last post was on the Homicide and Serious Crime Command where I worked for 10 years on a MIT predominantly investigating Murders. My main role was a case officer – responsible for collating and presenting all strands of the evidence gathered in an investigation to the CPS and taking the case to Court.
CC - During your time with the Homicide unit I understand you were a Tier 5 interview advisor. Can you explain about the Tier system and what an advisor would do please?
JG - The 5 Tier system is as follows:
Tier 1 is the most basic interview training to prepare mainly new officers with skills to conduct interviews for low level offences.
Tier 2 training is given to more experienced officers again for low level and volume crimes such as Theft and Assault.
Tier 3 is training to equip officers to deal with for more serious and complex crime and includes interviewing witnesses.
Tier 4 provides further in-depth training and includes monitoring and quality supervision.
Tier 5 - This is the interview advisor role. The aim is to provide a bespoke interview strategy for the SIO in order to gain the best possible chance of obtaining evidence by questioning. The advisor would plan and prepare for the interviews including choosing the most suitable interview team. This ensures that all facets of the investigation are covered in the interview, whilst ensuring that PACE and the codes of practice are complied with.
It is not normal for the advisor to be involved in the interview, instead a Tier 3 interviewer lead the questioning. As you may understand the more suspects involved the more complicated the role of the interviewer can become. I particularly remember a gang related murder where 21 arrests were made by the Team and the suspects were of ages ranging from 14-23 years old requiring detention at a number of different Police Stations.
CC - Most people believe that officers arrest someone and go straight into interviewing the suspect, but it is not quite that straightforward is it? Can you explain what preparation suspect interviewers would undertake before the interview begins?
JG - The preparation before interview is the most important part. There are many aspects of evidence the interviewers must familiarise themselves with – witness statements, CCTV, Exhibits, forensic matters etc. but there are also many other factors to consider which are out of Police control and can cause frustration. For example, has the suspect had sufficient time for legal consultation (which can sometimes take many hours)? Does the suspect require an appropriate adult or an interpreter? Is he/she under the influence of alcohol or drugs and therefore unfit for interview. Are there other suspects under arrest and if so which order should they be interviewed in? Most importantly, the whole process must be in accordance with PACE custody time limits. Remember the custody clock is ticking from the time detention is authorised and therefore further time extensions necessary to diligently progress the investigation must be considered and factored into the process. Every interview and set of circumstances are different and will bring its own unique challenge.
CC - Another misconception is that police interviews are fairly quick and concise. The police ask a question and the suspect either admits, denies or states ‘no comment’. That is not quite the truth though is it? Interviews can take days to complete and this is one of the reasons an SIO would not be involved. Can you explain why the process can take so long please?
JG - I have alluded to some of the issues faced by interviewers and the interview process above. The welfare and treatment of the suspect whilst in detention is of paramount importance and many interviews are delayed for rest periods, hospital visits and legal consultation. There could also be an unexpected breakthrough in the investigation, for example a piece of CCTV footage or a lab result on a forensic submission which was previously unknown. In these circumstances further disclosure and legal consultation would be in order before introduction into the interview process.
CC - How do you get chosen to be an interview advisor and what training did you have to complete?
JG - I always enjoyed interviewing suspects. I found it interesting to sit across the table from individuals many of whom had committed violent and shocking acts. It sometimes came as a surprise to see the vulnerability in some of them when the magnitude of the crime that they had committed became reality. Others were just plain bad people, cold and remorseless who deserve no place in civilised society. I applied for the requisite course which led to 3 weeks at Hendon Police Training College. At the conclusion of the course, I took part in a final case scenario where an interview was planned and conducted with actors playing the role of suspects.
CC - With regards to interviewing suspects I gave an input at a True Crime festival and people were surprised to learn that the police cannot lie to the suspect or try to trick them into confessing. Does it surprise you to think people think that is the case?
JG – No, that doesn’t surprise me but wouldn’t it be brilliant if we could?! In all seriousness, knowingly misleading a suspect would potentially result in the whole interview becoming inadmissible and could cast doubt on the integrity of every aspect of the investigation.
CC - It is everyone’s right to remain silent in interview and challenge the Prosecution to prove your guilt. It is not for any defendant to prove their innocence. Why, in your opinion, would someone remain silent if they were innocent and not simply tell the police they did not do it?
JG - The ultimate aim of any Suspect interview is to encourage the suspect to give an account. However, in my experience it is rare that a suspect provides this. The majority provide a prepared statement through their solicitor and answer no comment to all questions. A no comment interview can be just as damning at Court as long as the interviewer has asked all of the relevant questions. If a suspect had not committed the crime and remained silent there could be a number of reasons. The most common reason in my experience is that their account would incriminate someone close to them such as a friend or relative.
CC - Do you miss being a police officer and if yes, what part of it do you miss the most?
JG - Honestly, no! I am proud of my service and I always gave my best to serve the people of London. I made many good friends and together we were responsible for ensuring dangerous and violent offenders were convicted and imprisoned to make London a safer place. I served my time and am content now in retirement.
