Interviewing and Statement Taking
This domain tests structured, fair interviewing and accurate statement production. Examiners reward the PEACE framework, open questioning and evidential discipline; they penalise leading questions and poor records.
PEACE framework
- Planning and preparation: know the file, the gaps and the objective.
- Engage and explain: set expectations, explain the process, establish rapport.
- Account: free recall first, then probing; use open prompts (tell, explain, describe), then funnel to closed questions.
- Closure and Evaluate: summarise, correct misunderstandings, review the interview.
Cognitive technique
- Context reinstatement, recall from another perspective, and reverse-order recall to improve accuracy without suggestion.
Statement taking
- Section 9 Criminal Justice Act 1967 statements for court; contemporaneous notes; exact words; record "I don't know" and silences.
- Cautions apply to police interviews under PACE; insurer interviews are voluntary but must be fair, with the right to representation and an appropriate adult for vulnerable people.
Worked example
A claimant says a back injury prevents lifting. Take a free account first, then challenge with gym footage, recording the exact response and any explanation. Do not lead with the footage or suggest an answer.
Traps
- Leading or compound questions that contaminate the account.
- Failing to record negative answers and the interviewee's own words.
- Interviewing a vulnerable person without an appropriate adult.