Torture does not work There is a considerable body of scientific evidence to show that torture and inhuman treatment do not work. They do not elicit accurate or reliable information, which should be the goal of the police interviewer. The effects of stress on the brain’s cognitive ability are such that you can have no confidence in the truth of the information received, even where victims may actually believe that they are telling the truth. These findings have been confirmed not only by robust experiments but also by the practical experience of the best interviewers who have interviewed suspected terrorists and hardened career criminals. It is even confirmed by interrogators who have been convicted before the courts of using torture to extract information and confessions in hundreds of cases. They too admit that the information that they obtained through torture lacked credibility and value and could not be reliably acted upon. The purpose of torture and inhuman treatment is more often simply to inflict suffering, and to repress and deny the dignity of the person. Some police officers, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, naively still believe that physical or psychological abuse works. It is, in fact, counterproductive. The use of torture or inhuman and degrading treatment is much more likely to result in the confession of the vulnerable and innocent, thereby allowing the true, guilty perpetrator of the crime to remain free. The very law that the police officer has sworn to uphold will be broken and public confidence in the police will be undermined. There can be no respect or support for the police when officers do not uphold human rights, respect human dignity and obey the law. How to treat a suspect There are acknowledged fundamental safeguards against ill-treatment for persons in custody. As the suspect will already be in detention, you must ensure that these safeguards are in place. Even if the suspect has been in custody for some time, do not assume the safeguards have already been offered: it does no harm to check. If they have not, then you should offer them. Taking these steps will be more likely to improve your chances for success in obtaining information as it will contribute to building rapport with the suspect by demonstrating your respect for their rights and for the law. Why employ investi-gative interviewing techniques? ► They help to inform the direction of the investigation. This can result in the robust prosecution of a suspect or Professional interviewing ► Page 13