A European-wide survey of police officers’ beliefs and perceptions on suspect interviews

Abstract

[EN] This study examined the beliefs and practices of police investigators regarding interviewing and interrogation processes across six European countries. To assess investigators’ perspectives, we administered a survey adapted from Kassin et al. (2007). Police interviewing and interrogation: A self-report survey of police practices and beliefs. Law and Human Behavior, 31(4), 381–400 addressing (1) recording practices, (2) length and frequency of suspect interviews, (3) suspects’ use of their right to silence, (4) prevalence of true and false confessions, (5) confidence in detecting deception, and (6) interviewing and interrogation techniques. Results revealed substantial cross-national differences. Dutch officers conducted the longest interviews, while Norwegian officers were the most likely to record interviews. The use of suspects’ rights varied significantly, with Spanish officers reporting the highest invocation of the right to silence. False confessions were recognized across all subsamples, though voluntary false confessions were most frequently reported. Except in Norway, investigators significantly overestimated their deception detection accuracy. Overall, coercive tactics were infrequent, and most officers endorsed ethical, rapport-based strategies, aligning with the information-gathering approach. Despite cross-country variations, these findings suggest a broad adherence to non-coercive interviewing methods across Europe.