Workshop B: Utilising effective interviewing techniques in internal investigations

Post Conference Workshop Friday 28 July 2017 | 13.00 – 16.00

Utilising effective interviewing techniques in internal investigations

Forensic investigation and analysis has progressed exponentially as developments in technology become more widespread. The traditional investigation tools such as interviewing are falling behind. The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) 2004 audit and report into police interviews, ‘Listening In,’ identified a trend showing, the more experienced an investigator was the less likely they were to comply with legislative requirements and safeguards.

If experienced police investigators are getting worse, then other members of the investigative community would also suffer declining interviewing skills. Interviewing is a skill that can be applied as an investigative strategy regardless if the interviewee is a suspect, witness or victim. Interviewing is one of the best methods of obtaining information however the manner an interview is conducted can determine how much information is obtained, if any at all. 

Interviews regardless of the situation can be applied across the entire range of offences; they can be induced, cohered, obtain by direction or simply from part of the conversation where information is being sought. The interview blueprint remains the same, it is more than applying a model (PEACE), it is about applying the structure correctly to maximising the information gained and producing the best possible product.

This  workshop will look into the dying art of interviewing, the skills and capabilities called for to conduct ethical, fair and complete interviewing to maximise the opportunity to gather information whilst covering: – The art of interviewing: – The skills and capabilities required, – Best practice in interviewing for the most accurate information possible, and – Interview structures and modelling.

About your workshop leader

Kirk Bellotti is a experienced detective with 20 years experience in criminal and military investigations and one of a very small number of specialist interview trainers and advisers in Australia. Detective Bellotti has delivered interview training to lawyers and investigators from across the Australian law enforcement community and private sector. Detective Bellotti possess academic qualifications in Money Laundering, Corruption and Investigations and as trained and operated throughout Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand working with state, national and international law enforcement, anti-corruption and defence agencies.