The Norwegian Centre for Human Rights is thrilled to announce the publication of the UN Manual on Investigative Interviewing for Criminal Investigation.
The manual is a collaborative effort by the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO), The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). NCHR together with Police Chief Superintendent and guest researcher Dr. Ivar Fahsing, acted as the secretariat for drafting and review of the manual. The manual not only serves as a guiding document for the United Nations Police (UNPOL) officers in their mandated roles of mentoring, monitoring, advising and training, but also establishes a foundational resource for police development and capacity-building initiatives across the United Nations system.
Congratulations on this monumental accomplishment. I’m grateful for all of the efforts of the NCHR, as a proponent for what will be, a profound change in global policing practice.
- Mark Fallon, former NCIS special agent and Homeland Security Senior Executive, and co-founder of Project Aletheia, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.
The manual forms an integral part of UNPOL’s Strategic Guidance Framework for International Policing (SGF), which is based on international human rights and criminal justice standards and unequivocally states that accountability, including for the way in which police exercise powers entrusted to them by the law, is a pathway for police legitimacy.
The manual provides a practical introduction to investigative interviewing, an effective, ethical and human rights compliant approach to interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects of crime, as well as crucial safeguards and how to sustain investigative interviewing through broader police and justice reform.
The process
The development of the manual was initiated by the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and UN Police (UNPOL) five years ago as part of the development of the SGF. Since then, NCHR has hosted member state representatives from the Doctrine Development Group, coordinated a number of review processes, and the online validation meeting on 1 November 2023, with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- We are grateful to the Doctrine Development Group and the UN for their incredible cooperation, dedication, and patience throughout the development and review process of this critical manual. Their support has been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition, says Senior Adviser and member of the NCHR secretariat for the UN manual, Susanne H. Flølo.
UN launch events
NCHR are coordinating a number of exciting launch events in 2024. These events will serve as platforms to promote the manual and showcase its significance in enhancing investigative interviewing globally. The first event will be held in Vienna during the 33rd Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on 15 May, hosted by The Permanent Mission of Norway to the International Organisations in Vienna. The second event will take place during the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS) in New York in June.
For more information about NCHR's cooperation with the UN and tools and resources developed on Investigative interviewing, please visit our website.