Changing the international approach to questioning suspects, witnesses and victims of crime

NCHR becomes secretariat for drafting a manual providing advice for UN police peacekeepers on advanced methods of investigative interviewing. 

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NCHR cooperates with the UN Department of Peace Operations to draft the manual, which is also intended for supporting and training host-State police and other law enforcement counterparts.

The initiative is pursued in the context of the Police Division’s ongoing work on the Strategic Guidance Framework for International Police Peacekeeping (SGF). As part of the SGF, pillar four on “Police Operations”, UNPOL has requested assistance from NCHR to develop a manual on police investigations and questioning of victims, witnesses and suspects. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) cooperates actively with UNPOL in this effort. 

Global reach

- We are very excited about the opportunity to work with UN Department of Peace Operations and OHCHR in an effort to systemize and improve the way UN police officers interact with people all over the world every single day. The manual and the teaching materials will be based on the investigative interviewing methodology, which we have spent years introducing to police around the world, says Gisle Kvanvig, who will head the UNPOL secretariat at NCHR. 

Every day, more than 11,000 United Nations police officers from 88 countries foster international peace and security by supporting countries in conflict, post-conflict and crisis situations. The SGF will provide comprehensive training materials, tools and resources as the basis for training thousands of new UNPOL recruits for years to come.

When implemented, the impact of this project will have the potential to increase manifold due to the way UNPOL is structured. UNPOL officers typically serve for two years. By providing comprehensive training and material, the hope is that the officers will not only make use of the manual as an integral part of their overseas operations, but also share their experiences and intergrate the methodology at their local police offices upon return. - Knut D. Asplund, Head, Rule of Law at NCHR. 

In January 2020, NCHR will host the Inaugural meeting of the Doctrinal Development Group (DDG), tasked with developing the manual, in Oslo. The DDG will consist of expert and practitioners from a wide geographical basis and NCHR acts as the secretariat for the project.

  • Read more about the UNPOL project
Tags: KREATIV, Rule of Law, Investigative interviewing, Universal Protocol, UNPOL, UN, OHCHR, RoL NCHR, International Department By Susanne H. Flølo
Published Nov. 1, 2019 1:02 PM - Last modified Mar. 4, 2020 10:53 AM