Undertaking Effective Investigations A Guide for National Human Rights Institutions Chapter 13: Organizing the interview KEY QUESTIONS • What specific arrangements should be made when organizing the interview? • What documents and equipment are required? • How should the interview room be arranged? • How long should the interview take? • Are there guidelines on how to behave when first meeting the witness? 1. WHO SHOULD CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW? The short answer to this question is that it depends. Ideally, the interviewer should be knowledgeable about the overall investigation. They will have taken into account issues such as gender and culture and the ability to establishing a rapport with the witness (discussed in Chapter 14). Consideration may also need to be given to the issue of “status”. For example, a senior official may feel disrespected if a junior investigator interviews them. However, some constraints may be imposed through limited resources and the availability of appropriate personnel. It is also often very helpful for the person who will be writing any subsequent report to be present at important interviews. Knowledge of a particular field may be a consideration. There may be investigators in the NHRI that specialize in specific areas, such as custodial deaths or human trafficking, or certain types of investigation. Some agencies have investigators with different levels of training or expertise in a given type of interview.40 2. HOW MANY INVESTIGATORS SHOULD CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW? It is generally best to have two investigators conduct an interview, including those done by telephone and/or Skype. Interviewers have a lot to do during an interview, including: • asking questions • listening to the answers • watching body language • making notes • writing down the statement, if it is not being digitally voice recorded • ensuring that recording equipment is functioning • producing documents at the appropriate moment • crossing off questions as they are answered • developing new questions as new information emerges. 40 78 Police services in the United Kingdom have developed various levels of investigative interviewing, including specialists for serious cases and specific types of interviews, such as with persons who have serious learning disabilities. For details, see the competency framework set out at pages 8-9 of the National Investigative Interviewing Strategy: Briefing Paper, published in 2009 by the National Police Improvement Agency; available at http://library.college.police.uk/docs/npia/BP-Nat-Investigative-Interviewing-Strategy-2009.pdf.