Effect of training in investigative interview in National Police Academy, Japan: Examination of amounts of correct information and questioning skills

Abstract

The Research and Training Center for Interview and Interrogation Techniques is one of the national police institutions located in the campus of the National Police Academy of Japan. The Center provides training courses in investigative interviewing to senior police officers from prefectural police headquarters who are responsible for training front-line police officers in their prefectures. The Center has trained the police officers using the textbook including psychological findings on investigative interviewing, especially “Cognitive Interview” and “PEACE Model,” developed and employed in Western countries. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the new training course mentioned above. Forty-five trainees (senior police officers) participated in this study. Before and after the training, participants interviewed mock witnesses who watched videos of mock thefts. The results showed that the participants elicited more information from the mock witnesses and were more likely to use open-ended questions after the training. This result demonstrated the effectiveness of the new training.