Developing Guidelines on non-coercive Interviewing and Safeguards

Evidence shows that coercive interviewing, including ill-treatment or the use of torture, do not work. Based on this fact, the APT is working with partners to develop guidelines to assist law enforcement officials to conduct non-coercive interviews and implement legal and procedural safeguards. The guidelines will contribute to more professional and effective policing while reducing the well-documented risk of mistreatment and coercion that persons face during the first hours of custody. By championing interviewing and investigation practices centered on the principles of the presumption of innocence and the pursuit of truth, and by facilitating the implementation of essential legal safeguards, the guidelines will help prevent miscarriages of justice, foster trust in public institutions, and promote the rule of law. The aim is to have the guidelines endorsed by the UN in 2021.