This is a Danish written thesis regarding interrogation techniques and its daily function
in the Danish police department.
To examine this matter, interviews were chosen as method for data collection, where the
respondents are four individuals, with some form of link to the police. Questions asked
regarded not only interrogation methods, but also how each individual person use these
on a daily basis, and their take on an interrogation in practice.
Throughout this paper, there is also theory on interrogation techniques, the legal
perspective of interrogations, and furthermore the difference between being a suspect
and the person charged.
It was found, that the Danish method of interrogation is the cognitive principles, which
focus on the person being interrogated and their possibility to explain without
interruptions from the interrogator. All respondents placed a strong emphasis on the free
explanation and its importance regarding information gathering.
It was also found, that creating a bond between interrogator and the suspect, or person
charged, is vital, since this contribute to not only more information, but more truthful
information. The cognitive interrogation is said to provide between 20-60% more correct
information, than other techniques, according to foreign research.
Finally, this paper provides a perspectivation to whether or not it should be legal and
required to audio or video record interrogations in the Danish police, both to serve as
evidence, but also as legal certainty for both interrogator and the person interrogated.