What is PEACE Interview Training?
PEACE was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the United Kingdom, following several high-profile cases in which false confessions were obtained. A group of researchers compiled the most current evidence and made recommendations to a committee of law enforcement representatives, who then created the model. The PEACE framework is an ethical, non-accusatory, and science-based approach to interviewing.
The PEACE interview model is a non-accusatory, information-gathering approach to investigative interviewing consisting of five key steps. It remains the UK required investigative interviewing methodology and is widely used by law enforcement in Canada, the UK, wider Europe, and Australia.
The Five Stages of PEACE
P — Preparation and Planning
This phase includes reviewing the case, preparing an interview plan, setting up the environment, arranging to record the interview where appropriate, and beginning to build rapport with the interviewee. It also involves preparing a script and list of questions, setting objectives for the interview, and considering cultural aspects or whether an interpreter is needed.
E — Engage and Explain
The interviewer builds rapport by introducing themselves and anyone else present, explains the purpose of the interview, and engages the interviewee in conversation to set a relaxed and non-confrontational tone that makes them feel comfortable and willing to communicate. Language is kept simple, and the interviewee is treated with respect.
A — Account, Clarify, and Challenge
This is the core of the interview, where the interviewer finds out what happened by asking the interviewee to recall the event in full detail. Two methods can be used: the cognitive approach (encouraging free recall without interruption) and conversation management. Inconsistencies or contradictions are addressed through evidence-based challenge rather than accusation.
C — Closure
The interviewer wraps up the interview in a structured way, ensuring the interviewee understands what happens next and leaving the door open for future contact. The interviewee is given the opportunity to add anything further or ask questions.
E — Evaluation
This phase involves evaluating both the information gained from the interview and the effectiveness of the interviewer themselves. This reflective step helps interviewers continuously improve their technique.
Key Benefits of PEACE Interview Training
1. Reduces False Confessions
The PEACE method is designed to obtain a full account of events rather than to extract a confession. This contrasts with the other technique(s), which traditionally focus on a confession-driven, confrontational interrogation style — a style that can increase the likelihood of false confessions and wrongful convictions.
2. Produces More and Better Information
Research indicates PEACE-trained interviewer's gather more relevant information from interviewee's than those using traditional methods. In the UK’s evaluation, PEACE interviews led to higher quantity and quality of information from interviewee's, which is crucial for resolving investigations. Accusatory approaches, by focusing narrowly on extracting an admission, will short-circuit this process.
3. Trained Interviewers Perform Measurably Better
Studies comparing trained and untrained interviewers found that PEACE-trained interviewers used significantly more rapport-building behaviors, fewer coercive tactics, more open-ended questions, more clarifications, and fewer leading questions. People interviewed by trained interviewers also provided significantly greater amounts of information.
4. Ethical and Science-Based
The PEACE model is a tiered training program that takes into consideration the most current research in all aspects of interviewing, including building rapport, human memory, strategic use of evidence, and best practices for extracting information without contaminating it. This grounding in science ensures the approach remains reliable and defensible.
5. Minimizes Risk of Misleading Outcomes
By focusing on open-ended questioning and rapport-building instead of coercive tactics, the PEACE model minimizes the risk of leading or pressuring interviewees into false confessions. A subject who feels safe and respected is far more likely to provide truthful and complete information.
6. Versatile Across Many Contexts
The PEACE model can be beneficial to investigative teams of any size, in any industry — not just law enforcement. It is suitable for interviewing witnesses, victims, and suspects, and is equally applicable in workplace investigations, HR settings, and compliance contexts.
7. Internationally Recognized
The United Nations has highlighted the usefulness of the PEACE approach, with one UN report noting that models of investigative interviewing like PEACE can provide positive guidance and be applied in a wide range of investigative contexts, including during intelligence and military operations.