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Planning Tough Interviews 207

pay particular attention to the order in which they will be seen and, if possible, make sure they
are not able to compare notes and coordinate their explanations.

If the suspect is a lark type – up early in the morning, all bright and cheerful – you may
want to plan the interview for the late evening and vice versa if he is an owl. If you can catch
him at a time when he is doing something he shouldn’t be doing, so much the better. Always
plan the venue and timing carefully: make sure they are to your advantage.

The chance of finding the truth varies inversely
with the number of people present

In complex cases, more than one interview may be required with some or all of the suspects
but the first is usually the most productive because it should take the suspect by surprise. It
is not uncommon for suspects to refuse to attend follow-up interviews simply because they
have assessed their chances of success, decided the odds are against them and elected not to
engage in battle.

You may only have one bite of the apple

ARRANGING THE INTERVIEW ROOM

The layout of the interview room is very important in all serious cases. Always try to make the
suspect play away from home or in an environment with which he is not familiar. Only in
exceptional circumstances should the suspect be interviewed in his home (especially if he has
a big dog) or office (especially if he has a fawning personal assistant). There are two reasons
for this. The first is that the interview might be deliberately disrupted by family members or
colleagues. Secondly, in his own environment, the suspect may feel in control.

Also think carefully before holding the interview in your own office, especially if it is small
and untidy or displays your golfing memorabilia and photographs of you and your family on
holiday in Benidorm. These can put you in the wrong transactional role.

Always remember that there are two interviews taking place, and if the suspect forms an
opinion about you based on the appearance of your office, it may make it more difficult for
you to adopt the transactional roles necessary to succeed.

Ideally the interview room should be small1, private, reasonably soundproof and away
from centres of earnest activity (the conference room in the Accounting Department may be
ideal). People should not be able to look in from outside and the subject should be able to go
in and out of the room without having to walk past ‘rubber neckers’.

• Telephones should be disconnected and clocks and other distractions removed. (At the ap-
propriate time, you must make sure all mobile telephones are turned off.)

• The room should be clean and tidy, bordering on clinical (a slight scent of antiseptic or of
the confessional box does no harm).

• Furniture should be carefully arranged so that the suspect sits furthest from the door.
• At the start of the interview you should sit behind a desk with the suspect to your right.
• Seats for any corroborating witnesses should be placed out of the suspect’s direct line of

sight.

1 Around 10 feet by 10 feet