134 Resource book on the use of force and firearms in law enforcement CHAPTER KEY MESSAGES • The only legitimate aim of employing criminal investigative methods is to collect information in order to establish the truth. Each investigative method should be provided for in the law and only used for a particular, well-specified purpose. As such methods can be intrusive, law enforcement officials do not usually have the discretion to apply such methods on their own initiative, but need authorization. • Law enforcement officials may, if necessary, use force to: protect a scene of crime; preserve or seize evidence; and prevent destruction of evidence. Force may also be necessary to restrain an individual who is opposing, for example, a house search. • It can never be a legitimate policing objective to intimidate or punish. Law enforcement officials are never allowed to use force against a person in order to collect information, such as when interviewing suspects, victims, etc. • Likelihood of abuse of force, torture or other ill-treatment is high in the case of the suspect interview. Yet, the use of force in such situations, or the threat of the use of force, is wrong and violates international norms and standards. It is also proven to be ineffective. • Measures to prevent abuse of force during a suspect interview include: (a) enhancing the tools and skills of law enforcement officials to acquire other types of information than confessions; (b) allowing legal counsel of the suspect to be present during each interrogation; (c) recording of interrogations; (d) generally not detaining suspects in facilities that are under the control of the interrogators or investigators; and (e) regularly reviewing interrogation rules, instructions, methods and practices.