Investigative Interview Techniques: A Practical Guide to the PEACE Model

Unstructured questioning risks contaminating memory, missing key facts, and producing accounts that don't hold up under scrutiny. A structured, non-coercive approach improves both the quantity and the accuracy of information gathered, whether you are interviewing a suspect, victim, or witness.

PEACE is the framework used by investigators in the UK and many other jurisdictions. Each letter marks a phase of the interview:

1. PPreparation and Planning. Review the case file, define your objectives, identify the points to prove, and plan the topics and order of questioning before the interview begins.
2. EEngage and Explain. Build rapport, explain the purpose and routines of the interview, and set expectations so the interviewee understands the process.
3. AAccount, Clarify and Challenge. Obtain the interviewee's account using open questions, then clarify details and, where appropriate, challenge inconsistencies with evidence — calmly and without leading.
4. CClosure. Summarize the account, confirm the interviewee has nothing to add, and explain the next steps.
5. EEvaluation. Review the information obtained against your objectives and assess how the interview affects the wider investigation.

• Open questions ("Tell me everything that happened…") invite free recall and yield the most reliable detail.
• Probing questions (who, what, where, when, how) clarify specifics without leading.
• Avoid leading and closed questions early — they narrow answers and can distort memory.

Rapport is not manipulation. Active listening, a non-judgmental tone, and letting the interviewee speak without interruption consistently outperform pressure-based tactics for obtaining accurate information.