Page 320 - Deception at work all chapters EBook

Other Applications 373

Control interviews

You should interview two or three people, ideally of around the same age and rank as the
potential suspects, using the approach set out below. Use their reactions as a baseline for
evaluating the responses in the relevant interviews.

INTERVIEWS WITH THE POTENTIAL SUSPECTS

Invitation

Invite each potential suspect to an interview. If possible all of the interviews should be con-
ducted simultaneously but where this is not possible, it is essential that subjects who have not
been interviewed are prevented from speaking to those who have.

Don’t let the potential suspects compare notes

The opening statement

It is imperative that you do not allow the subject to interrupt at any point, by saying some-
thing along the lines: ‘Please let me finish. We have to go through a set process which will get
to the truth’.

You then make an opening statement.

Example : ‘I am Bill Smith from internal audit. I am investigating a very serious case where
[confidential company information has been passed to X, a competitor]. This theft could
result in our losing a large contract in the Far East, to loss of jobs and other problems for
everyone. The company will spare no time or expense in finding the truth and we have
investigators working on this throughout the world. The top management of X is also very
concerned and is cooperating fully. In fact, my colleagues are working with X as we speak.

We know the information was removed from the office in which you work and we hope to
recover the original documentation, which we will have tested for fingerprints. We are also
analysing telephone, Internet and computer records, expense statements and bank accounts.
I am confident that we will find the person responsible.

There were only ten copies of this confidential report and we have recovered nine of
them, so only the one is missing. We believe that the missing copy was taken from the
office in which you work. There are only ten people who have access to that office and we
are interviewing each of you to try to identify responsibility and to clear those who are not
involved.

I am going to ask you some questions and note down your responses in one of two
columns on this profile. Do not worry about what I am writing down. What I plan to do is go
through the same process with everyone and then analyse the results. I promise you we will
find the truth and put this very unfortunate problem behind us.’

You should adapt the opening statement to suit the case concerned and then pull out a
clean copy of the checklist and use red (indicative of responsibility) and green (indicative
of innocence) highlighter pens to mark the subject’s reaction to the opening statement and
then ask: