cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; no circumstance can ever justify such treatment. With regard to interviewing, no one should be subject to violence, threats or methods of interrogation that impair their judgment or capacity to make decisions. This includes taking “undue advantage” of the situation of a detained person for the purpose of compelling them to confess. It is good practice to record the length of time that any detainee is interviewed, the length of breaks between interviews and the identity of all those present during the conduct of interviews. UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials Article 2: In the performance of their duty, law enforcement officials shall respect and protect human dignity and maintain and uphold the human rights of all persons. Article 5: No law enforcement official may inflict, instigate or tolerate any act of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6: Law enforcement officials shall ensure the full protection of the health of persons in their custody. The golden rule There are no circumstances that can justify subjecting a suspect to intimidation, threats, abuse or violence of any kind, whether physical or psychological, in order to obtain information, implicate another or extract a confession. Not only is this unethical, contrary to the ethical standards of professional policing and a breach of domestic and international law, it simply does not work. Prior to going through the process and stages of investigative interviewing, it is essential that you first appreciate and accept the “golden rule” of interviewing. It is a simple rule to understand but it may be more difficult to apply consistently in your professional practice in the face of internal and external pressures to bend or break it. Nevertheless, you must adhere to it if you wish to become a skilful police investigative interviewer operating within the law. Page 12 ► A brief introduction to investigative interviewing