Current positions and roles
- Academic expert and adviser in investigative leadership, ethical interviewing and investigative methodology, and operational decision-making
- International expert and contributor to UN-related and multilateral initiatives on human rights–compliant investigations
- Grant Manager, EU COST ImpleMéndez Project
Previous key positions
- Homicide detective (Detective Superintendent), Norwegian Police (Oslo Police District and the National Criminal Investigation Service – Kripos)
- Associate Professor and Head of Research in Investigative Methodology, (Detective Chief Superintendent), Norwegian Police University College
- Lead of the national development of investigative interviewing and investigative leadership
- Visiting researcher and external academic resource at several European universities and police colleges
Education
- PhD in Psychology (criminal investigation and decision-making)
- MSc in Forensic and Legal Psychology
- Police Academy education and national/international specialist police training
- Extensive postgraduate training in statistics, research methods, leadership, and pedagogy
Teaching and academic responsibilities
At Norwegian Police University College, Dr. Fahsing has held responsibility for the development, leadership, and delivery of teaching at undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development levels, particularly in the following areas:
- Criminal investigation and investigative methodology
- Investigative interviewing (co-developer of the national investigative interviewing programme KREATIV)
- Decision-making and evaluation of evidence in criminal cases
- Leadership of serious crime investigations and complex enquiries
- Human rights–compliant investigative methods
He has also held overall responsibility for national education programmes for investigators, senior investigating officers, and instructors.
Research interests
Key research interests include:
- How scientifically based investigative and interviewing methods can support compliance with human rights principles within the justice system
- Investigative decision-making, cognitive bias, and the prevention of miscarriages of justice
- Professional judgement in policing and prosecution
- The management of vulnerability in criminal justice processes
- The interaction between psychology, law, and investigative practice
- The implementation of research-based standards in national and international justice systems
Career overview
Dr. Fahsing combines extensive operational experience from serious criminal investigations with a strong academic career in psychology and criminal investigation. He has led and contributed to high-profile investigations into organised crime and homicide, while, over several decades, conducting research, publishing, and teaching on the fundamental role of investigative quality in due process, legal certainty, and the protection of human rights. He has repeatedly appeared as an expert witness in high-profile Norwegian court cases.
He has played a central role in the development of research-based investigative and interviewing methods in the Nordic countries and has contributed to training and methodological development in numerous countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. Dr Fahsing served as editor of the United Nations’ first validated UN ONE Manual on Investigative Interviewing (2023) and continues to be actively involved in establishing international standards for human rights–compliant investigations.