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Conducting Tough Interviews 265

The subject’s anxiety is increased every time he is caught out in this way. From time to
time, you may plan to ask questions that give the subject the chance to use subjective truths
and then chastise him for doing so or give him credit for precise, full answers.

INTERRUPTIONS AND AVOIDING DENIALS

Wherever possible you should try to intervene every time a suspect starts to tell a lie or wanders
off the point. You can do this by oral statements.

Example :
• ‘Hold on, Bill, that cannot be right, can it?’
• ‘I think you should stop just there.’

Or by non-verbal intervention such as holding your hand up much like a traffic policeman
and at the same time shaking your head left to right (Table 7.33).

Table 7.33 Most likely reactions to interventions

Reactions indicating innocence Reactions indicating guilt

Will usually insist on completing his statement Will usually defer to the interruption

There are obviously exceptions to every rule, but liars tend to be more passive, less assertive
and less committed than truthful people. Stopping false explanations and challenging lies
creates anxiety in the mind of the suspect.

An innocent person usually objects to being interrupted

ENTICEMENT QUESTIONS

The object of these questions is to get the suspect to change an explanation or alibi he has
already given. They may be asked at any point in an interview, but should usually be asked
when:

• the subject is committed to an untrue explanation, or deliberate concealment, probably
through blocking questions;

• he can be confronted with a new and important piece of incriminating evidence;
• he has admitted to making an error in an explanation;
• he is at the pivotal point.

If you can get him to change his explanation, the chances are that a confession will follow.
Even the approach, by itself, will increase his anxiety.

Example : ‘You have told me that you were not in the supermarket that day. As you know, the
security office makes video recordings. Do you want to reconsider what you have told me?’