Fiji: piloting mobile video recording of interrogations Following their ratification of UNCAT in 2016, Fiji embarked on reforms to raise the standards in the Fijian police and reduce the acknowledged incidences of assault in detention. As part of these reforms, Fiji purchased 30 video recording devices to be used in interrogation situations. New Standard Operating Procedures have been agreed to allow such recordings to be admissible in court. The procedures provide that each recording is made on three disks, to ensure the complete integrity of the evidence, and one is given to the suspect. With training, Fijian police were encouraged to become more familiar with the recording procedure and to see the potential benefits. Fiji anticipates that far fewer confessions will be challenged in court, reducing delays, police time at court and related costs. Republic of Ireland: video recording of interrogation and use of CCTV In 2006, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture commended the introduction of audio-visual recording in many police interrogations, finding that recording in the interrogation rooms of police stations may have been a contributing factor to reducing the amount of ill-treatment alleged by detainees. The CPT also welcomed a wider system of CCTV recording in a pilot project in Dublin whereby most parts of the police station are being monitored with cameras. Model practice for investigative interviewing As police interviews represent one of the situations where the risk of abuse is high, in 2016 the UN Special Rapporteur on torture recommended human-rights compliant minimum standards for investigative interviewing that refrain from using any type of coercion (UN Doc. A/71/298). Interview practice must not resort to any direct or indirect physical or undue psychological pressure to induce confessions. When used effectively, professional investigative interview techniques increase the quality and likelihood of obtaining relevant information from a suspect, which in turn supports the credibility of investigations, the fairness and outcomes of criminal prosecutions, and overall trust of citizens in the administration of justice and in their police services. (See CTI Training Tool 1/2017 Investigative Interviewing) In addition to a non-coercive approach, a number of associated good practices should accompany the police interview. The time and place of all interrogations should be recorded, together with the names of all those present and this information should also be available for the purposes of judicial or administrative proceedings. Rules should also provide clear minimum procedures and limits for interviews, and provide for refreshment and rest breaks. Additional considerations are needed for child suspects, witnesses and victims, such as being accompanied by a responsible guardian. Indonesia: training on non-coercive techniques in line with criminal procedure code In Indonesia, article 117(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code provides that all evidence must be given without pressure of any kind. In order to be more effective and ensure the integrity of interview evidence, Indonesia has recently begun to train its police to use non-coercive investigative interviews rather than a traditional interrogation model which had prioritised a confession. TOOL: Safeguards in the first hours of police detention 7/11